Rose and Jack
by Rapunzel247
Summary: UPDATED... finally. Rose plus Jack plus pressure from an overprotective mother equals something you wouldn’t expect from Jack. RoseJack, Rose9th
1. Wind Across the Grass

Title: Rose and Jack (creative, I know)

Summary: Rose plus Jack plus pressure from an overprotective mother equals something you wouldn't expect from Jack. Mostly straight romance-ish stuff but there is a little action.

Disclaimer: s are pointless. I wouldn't be writing a fanfiction about it if I owned it, now would I? However…

Claimer: Quasar and related incidents are mine, okies? But do ask if you want to fanfic my fanfic. ahem

* * *

_**Chapter One: Wind Across the Grass **_

"_Good," said Rose. "We can get him back to the TARDIS."_

"_He's dead, Rose," said the Doctor softly. "No one gets shot like that and lives. At least, not usually."_

"_He was alive," said Rose. "A few minutes ago."_

"_A few minutes are all it takes."_

* * *

"I bet that's beautiful," Rose Tyler said.

"Takes your breath away," said the Doctor.

The Doctor gave his lopsided grin and turned back to his beloved TARIDS. He began diligently flicking switches, turning handles and numerous other things.

Rose flicked her hair over her shoulder. She left the consol room. She was going to find the other member of the 'crew' whom she hadn't seen for the last day—twenty-four hours, she should say. Riding a time machine could confuse the terms day, week, past, future, etcetera.

She opened a door to see Captain Jack Harkness lounging on a seat flicking through the millions of channels the TARDIS had access to. He looked up at her with a strange expression. But come to think of it, that was the look Jack gave everyone, if he wasn't bent on killing them. And _that _would be a strange look for him to give Rose. It was the look Rose was coming to see as 'typical Jack.'

Rose sat down beside him on the couch.

"What are you watching?" she asked, not really interested.

Jack changed the channel. He shifted and put his arm around her shoulders.

"You," he said.

_Why did he have to be so self-confident and forthcoming? _Rose thought. She turned her head slightly. She looked into his grey-blue eyes for a split second before quickly turning back to the giant screen. It was some soppy romance movie starring aliens Rose had never seen before.

She grabbed the control from the hand draped over her shoulder. She put in a random channel. A football game appeared on the screen. She subconsciously snuggled into Jack.

She remembered this game. She and her boyfriend, Mickey Smith, had watched it one night. That had been nice. Her reminiscing was interrupted by the Doctor's familiar footsteps in the hall out side.

She scrambled to her feet. Jack sat up, slightly startled.

"Okay, lovebirds," kidded the Doctor opening the door.

Rose jumped and stared at the Doctor. Jack, she could tell, was grinning.

"We've arrived."

"Where?" asked Jack, disinterested.

The Doctor just turned and left, uncomfortable with the way Rose was staring at him.

Jack jumped up and brushed his arm against Rose as he left the room. Rose waited a moment before slowly following him.

When Rose entered the consol room Jack was leaning on the consol and the Doctor was fiddling with something on it.

"Go on, you two," he said not looking up. "I'll be a second."

Rose walked a large arc around the consol and Jack to the door. She opened it. A large gust of wind whirled in.

Rose stepped out onto the plain outside the TARDIS. The grass was grey-green and reached up to her knees. It rippled out in all directions as far as she could see. Huge winds brushed across the plain making the sky pure blue. Outlandish, hovering windships floated across the grass—all going the same way.

Jack stepped out of the TARDIS behind her. Much to her relief he walked off a few paces to her right.

"Wow," said Rose.

"You should see this place during a storm," said Jack with a laugh. "Now that can be fun."

The Doctor exited the TARDIS and shut the door firmly.

"What d'you think?" he asked.

"Beautiful," said Rose.

The three timetravellers walked off a few paces apart—letting the strong wind push them along a little.

"Every street here is a one way street," said the Doctor.

"So don't miss your turn off," said Jack.

Rose shook her head with a faint smile, "Are there any buildings around here?"

"Not for a few miles," said Jack.

Rose wondered for a second how Jack knew so much about this planet.

She wandered over to a sleek, black ship. Its top was nearly flat and nothing could be seen through the window at the front. She leaned against it.

"Something's not right," said the Doctor suddenly.

Jack sat next to Rose.

"How'd you mean?" he asked.

"Something is missing."

"How do you know that?" asked Rose.

The Doctor shrugged. "According to my calculations in this timeframe something should be here that isn't. And I just can't quite remember what."

The Doctor moved off to investigate. Rose laughed and lay back on the top of the ship.

"Y'know," said Jack, leaning back on one elbow and looking at Rose. "This is probably highly illegal. Trespassing or something along those lines. Some people live in their ships."

"Like that bothers you, Mr. Criminal," said Rose with a giggle.

"Aren't you cold?" asked Jack, falling back onto both elbows.

"Yes, terribly," said Rose. "But I don't care."

She brushed her hair from her face but the motion was futile. The relentless wind just blew it back.

"You don't have to show of to him," said Jack.

"Who? The Doctor? I'm not." said Rose quickly.

"He's a Time Lord and can stand extreme temperatures," said Jack.

"I know."

"And you're not. You'll catch a cold."

Rose sat up. "You reckon?"

"Yep," said Jack.

Before Rose could say anything else the Doctor returned.

"Figured it out?" asked Jack.

"No." The Doctor sat down on the other side of Rose. "You're shivering."

Rose laughed and lay back down with her arms flung above her head. _What is with these two? I'm a little cold, so what? They're so cute._

Suddenly there was an airy sliding sound and a click. Rose started but her wrists and legs were stuck to the ship.

"Uh oh," she said. "Doctor?"

Jack tried to shift his position. His legs were clamped to the ship with some sort of metal bond.

"Stuck, I think," he said.

"Brilliant diagnosis, Captain," said the Doctor a little sarcastically, struggling against bonds that were clamped around his legs.

The ship moved off, clearly not a windship. Rose could feel the vibrations of the engine beneath her, or was that her shivering?

The Doctor lay back on the ship next to Rose.

"Wind inversion!" he said suddenly.

"What's that?" asked Rose.

"Inverting wind," said Jack. "It's the process that allows windships to travel against the wind. Complicated but stupidly simple principle."

"Thanks," said Rose. "But, Doctor, what's the significance?"

"By my calculations this planet should have invented it by now," said the Doctor.

"So your calculations are wrong," said Jack with a dismissive shrug.

"Or someone's been messing with timelines," returned the Doctor roughly.

The ship came to a halt and Rose felt the bonds from her thighs and wrist release. She sat up slowly. The new scenery looked identical to where they'd been before except for a large building with a shiny, domed roof to her left.

Two men with peculiar guns shoved them off the top of the ship. They were hustled through a narrow door way and up a brightly lit hallway with walls that reflected the light into their unprotected eyes. Mildly blinded, they were pushed into a chamber that was two metres by one and a half. The door they entered by and the left-hand wall were metal and the other two were glass.

Two guards strapped their feet to the ground.

"Raise your hands," one of them instructed them.

Jack obeyed and so did Rose. The Doctor just kept his arms folded across his chest.

"Raise your arms, mister," said the guard, prodding him with the end of his gun.

The Doctor lifted his arms. All three prisoners' hands were locked to the roof.

The two guards left and the door was shut behind them.

"What is going on?" asked Rose.

"Do you mind not breathing down my neck?" said Jack.

"Well, sorry but I didn't exactly plan on getting sandwiched between you two!" said Rose.

The Doctor was silent.

"I can tell you what's going on," said Jack. "We're standing here with our arms chained to the roof and our feet…" Jack trailed off before resuming, "chained to the ground. Today's the day you're gonna wish you were a little taller."

"There's nothing wrong with being short," retorted Rose.

Then she understood. It was gentle at first but it got worse as the seconds ticked by. The roof was moving upwards, stretching them. Jack and the Doctor—both taller than her—would be able to stand it for a long time but it was already painful for Rose.

"Ow," she moaned.

"Sounds like the winds picking up," said Jack. "This place is nice during a storm, especially if you can find the right person."

"Jack," said Rose in a strangled tone. "This is no time to reminisce about former girlfriends."

"I'm not reminiscing," he replied. "Never did find the right person."

"You've been here before," said the Doctor.

Jack nodded almost in perceptibly.

Rose gave another cry.

"I'll talk," muttered Jack sourly.

Suddenly his bonds released. He stepped forward to the glass wall. A door opened and he walked out.

"That's nice," grumbled Rose.

* * *

Jack stood in front of a man in a black and blue uniform and frowned at him.

"Please sit down," said the man in the uniform.

"I talk better standing up," said Jack.

The two guards shoved Jack backwards by his shoulders onto a long bench.

"What happened to the third ship?"

"Which third ship?"

"You know exactly what ships I'm talking about, Harkness," said the man.

"What's the date?"

"What?"

"I need to know the date so I can tell how long I've been away for," said Jack.

"You've been missing for two years. And then you show up out of the blue with these two…accomplices? …sitting on one of our patrol cars. You are stupid, Harkness."

"Thank you," said Jack. "About that third ship. I don't quite remember what I did with it."

"Seems to me that three is your unlucky number," said the man, flicking a switch on a nearby panel. A window opened up in the wall behind him. "Three is the one that gave you away."

Jack looked up at the window. Behind the tinted glass, a young, black-haired girl stood. She was a spy Jack had known the last time he came here.

_Maybe I had found the right person._

"That's nice of her," said Jack. The girl turned and walked away. The window shut.

"Now, what did you do with the third ship?"

"I didn't blow it up, like you asked."

"Don't even suggest such preposterous things!" snapped his interrogator.

Jack raised an eyebrow. _So Quasar is working under the pretence that he's trying to find the ship for the Company._

"I remember," said Jack suddenly, getting to his feet. He'd remembered all along but he had been stalling. He stepped up to the shorter man, "But I'm not telling until you stop stretching her." Jack motioned over his shoulder to Rose who could be seen, writhing in pain, through the glass wall.

"Sit down, Harkness," said the man, clearly nervous.

"Let her go," said Jack, stepping a little closer.

The two guards shoved Jack back onto the bench again.

"I'm not talking until you do something about her."

"So you have another one, Harkness," said the man. He turned to the panels on his right. "Be careful she doesn't land you in trouble."

"Get on with it," said Jack.

The man flicked a switch.

* * *

Rose could feel her arms slowly being pulled from their sockets. She gave a cry. She tried twisting her body to stop the pain. Nothing was helping.

Suddenly her wrists came loose. She fell back on the Doctor. She leant against him, breathing hard. She wrapped her sore arms around her body.

* * *

"That's better," said Jack.

"Now, the third ship?"

"I hid it."

"Where?"

"In a cave."

"There are hundreds of caves—which one?"

Jack leant against the glass. "Can I have a map?"

The man picked up a hand held computer and passed it to Jack.

Jack scanned the map till he recognised some familiar geography.

"It's not on this map," he said handing it back to the man. "But it's somewhere around there. If you're really that interested I can show you the way."

"How can it not be on this map," objected the man. "It shows every geographical feature on the planet!"

"It's not on it."

* * *

The Doctor, Rose and Jack were escorted back to the ship that had brought them here. This time they were pushed inside. Again Rose was squashed between the Doctor and Jack.

"This is a little more stylish than last time," said Rose. She was still aching from being stretched.

The ships engines ignited and they moved off. Jack watched the outside whiz by on a small screen in the back of the pilot's seat.

"So you've been here before," said the Doctor.

"Yes," said Jack.

"Have you ever thought you might be the one that messed up the timeline?"

Jack shrugged. "I didn't mean too."

"People who mess up timelines generally don't mean to."

"How was I supposed to know the idiots were going to send their head engineer after me? Or rather, head engineer-to-be. It wasn't my fault he got caught in the second explosion."

Rose looked between the Doctor and Jack. The Doctor looked incredibly angry and Jack was staring intently at the screen with a blank expression.

"What exactly did you do?" asked the Doctor.

"Quasar—that guy who I was talking too—asked me to steal three ships and blow them up."

"What for?" asked Rose.

"He's part of the rebellion, or at least was. I think he still is but he's acting for the government to find the last ship."

"So you helped out a rebellion against the government?" said the Doctor.

"Yes," said Jack. "But it was more of a favour for Three."

"Who?" asked Rose.

"A girl I knew," said Jack.

"I thought you said you never found the right person," said Rose.

"It appears she wasn't the right person," said Jack. "She's the one that leaked to the government about me. I didn't know that at the time but today I found out."

"Which is why you left," said the Doctor. "After destroying two of the ships."

Jack nodded.

"But why not the third one?"

"That was a favour for a friend in the government," said Jack.

"Double-agent?" said Rose.

"Not exactly," said Jack. "You could say I was holding the ship hostage."

The back of the ship fell silent. A few seconds later Jack hit an intercom button on the door. "We're here."

The engines cut a moment after.

The doors were opened and they were greeted by the guards and Quasar. Jack, Rose and the Doctor got out of the ship. Before them stood a building, engineered to look something like a hill with a cave in.

"This doesn't look much like a cave," said Quasar.

"Did I ever say it wasn't a high-tech cave?" said Jack.

"No wonder it wasn't on the geographical map," growled Quasar.

Jack grinned.

Rose looked up. The previously blue sky was filling with dark clouds. A storm was brewing.

"Sir, it looks like a storm," said one of the guards. "We should secure the prisoners."

The three prisoners were led into a sheltered entrance to Jack's 'high-tech cave.' There the guards fixed small devices to the wall. The prisoners' handcuffs were then locked to these.

"Do the rebels know about this place?" asked Quasar.

"No," said Jack. "Unless Three told 'em."

"That's doubtful," said Quasar. "Am I to believe only you and Three know about this place?"

"Yes, but something tells me you're not going to," said Jack.

Quasar signalled for the guards to leave them.

"Now Jack," said Quasar. "Who are your friends and why didn't you destroy the ship like we ordered?"

"My friends are some people I met while on another job," said Jack. "I've been travelling with them since. And I didn't destroy the ship because I knew it would come in handy."

"But it's the key! As soon as that ship is destroyed the government is finished. This war would have been over two years ago if you had kept your end of the bargain!"

"Well, sorry but I had more to consider than a pitiful rebellion," said Jack.

"Like what? Your financial situation?"

Jack didn't respond.

"All I want is for you to lead us to the ship, blow it up and then clear out. I can take it from there."

"Blow the ship up yourself," said Jack.

"I'm not going to incriminate myself," said Quasar.

"And what makes you think I'm going to incriminate myself for your rebellion?" asked Jack.

"You were going to do it before," said Quasar.

"You were going to pay me before."

"I can still pay you."

"Before I clear out?"

"Pay you with freedom."

Jack didn't respond to this either. Suddenly he pulled away from the wall and grabbed a gun from Quasar's belt. He trained it on the man's head.

"Keep quiet, Quasar," said Jack. "I have the upper hand now."

"What?" Quasar took a small step back.

"I always found holding devices easier than straight handcuffs."

Jack reached behind Rose's back, fiddled with the handcuffs a bit and then Rose's hands fell to her sides. Jack moved over and helped the Doctor.

"The guards aren't far away, Harkness," said Quasar. "And I have all the evidence I need to prove you stole and destroyed the ship."

"And then what?" said Jack. "I show the government where the key ship is and your rebellion is squished."

"They'll kill you for destroying the ships," said Quasar.

"Not if I tell them where the key ship is," said Jack.

Jack turned his attention to the gun. He ripped it in two, took out a palm-sized chip and then put it back together. He holstered the gun.

"This should come in handy too," said Jack waving the chip in front of Quasars face. "What were you planning to do? Steal the ship yourself? Me blow it up indeed. I think I'm the one that was going to face the bombs. Who exactly are you working for, Quasar?"

Quasar stared wide eyed at the chip.

"Yeah, thought so," said Jack.

"G—" Before Quasar could finish Jack finished him.

"That should give the rebellion a hand," said Jack. "Doctor, do you want to keep this?" Jack handed the chip to the Doctor. "We'll probably need it."

The Doctor inspected the chip before slipping it into his jacket.

Jack walked over to the door. He punched a few numbers into a keypad before thumping the door.

"Two years is a long time," he explained.

The Doctor pushed him aside and took out the sonic screwdriver. The door slid open.

Jack led the Doctor and Rose inside. The guards and pilot were hot on their trail.

"All we have to do is get to the ship hold," said Jack skidding around a corner. "Then we can be out of here."

"I hope two years hasn't been too long," said Rose.

Jack looked down the hall and then pushed himself and Rose up against the wall. The Doctor joined them leaning against the wall.

"I just have to work out where we are," said Jack.

A second later, Jack jumped over to a panel on a wall. After pressing a few buttons a hidden door opened in the wall.

"You two get in there," he ordered and shoved them in. "I'll be a few seconds."

The Doctor didn't like being shoved around by Jack but he knew there was little he could do. He and Rose leant against the wall, out of sight.

Rose heard the two guards enter the hall. She heard a shot—not the gun Jack had stolen from Quasar—and a thump. She saw the Doctor move to close the hidden door.

Rose looked out and saw Jack lying on his back on the ground. He had a large, nasty-looking wound in the left side of his lower torso.

"Jack!" cried Rose. She ran forward.

She fell to her knees beside him and tenderly touched the wound.

The Doctor shouted, "Rose!"

There was a second shot.

Rose fell onto her side and her hand fell over her face.

"Rose," said the Doctor quietly. He almost ran out to her but he thought better of it. There was no point if she'd been shot. He closed the hidden door.

* * *

The Doctor looked around the room. It was two metres square and completely empty. He looked up at the roof. There was a panel marked out on the roof. With a little sonic screwdriver work he had it open. The Doctor climbed up.

He emerged in a plain hall. He ran up to the first door off it. It was open. He leant against the wall and peered around. Empty. He came up to the second open door. Empty. He took two steps to the end of the hall. It was a closed door.

The Doctor easily got it open. In side was a smooth red and silver ship shaped like a seashell. It had two large engines in the back.

"The third and key ship," he said to himself. He wasn't going to leave Rose here even if she was dead.

* * *

"Rose!" Rose heard the Doctor's shout followed by a shot.

She fell onto her side. Her hand hit her head. For a moment she looked into Jack's eyes. He smiled faintly and then closed his eyes. She closed hers too.

The Doctor turned back down the hall. Instead of going back into the hidden room he turned left. He came out into a large area, similar to the first one they'd been in when they first entered this building. In that room was something that the Doctor recognized as a lift.

He entered it with the help of his sonic screwdriver. He went down one level. He opened the lift. The guards were no where to be seen.

The Doctor cautiously walked back into the hall where Jack and Rose had been shot. He walked over to where they lay together.

He gently rolled Rose onto her back. Her hand fell away from the side of her head. There was a smudge of blood there.

He cradled her head, considering how to move her, when she opened her eyes.

"Rose!"

"Doctor?" Rose sat up.

"Careful," he said. "That looks like a nasty wound."

"I'm not wounded," said Rose. "They missed."

The Doctor touched the side of Rose's face. Rose put her hand there too.

"That's not my blood," said Rose quietly. "It's Jack's."

She turned to Jack.

"Rose, I've found the ship," said the Doctor.

"Good," said Rose. "We can get him back to the TARDIS."

"He's dead, Rose," said the Doctor softly. "No one gets shot like that and lives. At least, not usually."

"He was alive," said Rose. "A few minutes ago."

"A few minutes are all it takes."

Rose looked sadly at Jack.

"C'mon, Rose."

Rose laid her hand across Jack's heart. "We should at least make sure."

"The guards will be back soon," said the Doctor.

Rose waited for her hand to feel the beat of Jack's heart.

"He's alive," whispered Rose, hoarsely. "Jack, wake up."

She shook him gently. Jack's eyes opened. He winced with pain.

"The Doctor found the ship," said Rose softly.

The Doctor got up and kept watch on the door.

"We have to get you to it and then we can get to the TARDIS."

Jack rolled onto his side and tried to get up. Rose gave him a hand. The Doctor joined them and whispered urgently, "The guards are coming. We can't use the lift."

"We're not going to take the stairs," said Rose, "because—no offence, Jack—but he's heavy."

"Worse," said the Doctor.

Rose and the Doctor helped Jack over to the secret door. The Doctor got it open and all three huddled in. They shut the door but not before the guards spied them.

"Now what?" asked Rose.

The Doctor pointed up. Rose's face fell at the sight of the panel. The Doctor opened it.

"You first," he said.

The Doctor gave Rose a knee up. She grabbed the edges of the open panel and pulled herself up with the Doctor helping her below.

Maybe it was adrenaline but somehow Jack managed to support himself. The Doctor gave him a hand up even though Jack's weight was nearly too much for the Time Lord. Jack grabbed the edges and pulled his body up. He grunted quietly in pain. The Doctor pushed up on Jack's feet.

Somehow they managed to get Jack up. The Doctor pulled himself up and shut the panel.

"The ship is through that door," said the Doctor handing the sonic screwdriver to Rose.

Rose used the sonic screwdriver on the door. It slipped open. She frowned at the ship.

The Doctor helped Jack into the ship hold. He left Jack leaning on the ship and took the sonic screwdriver from Rose. He opened one of the doors in the side. It folded up revealing a smallish cargo/passenger area. Rose and the Doctor pushed Jack into it and Rose got in after him.

The Doctor shut the door on his exhausted companions. He opened the pilot's doors and got in.

Rose heard Jack moan something. She leaned closer.

Suddenly she shouted, "It's not gonna work!"

The Doctor got out and opened the door.

"What do you mean?"

"Jack said it's not going to work."

"What do we have to do?" They could hear the guards coming closer.

Rose leant over Jack. Jack just shook his head. He produced a pen from somewhere and grabbed the Doctor's hand. He drew some wobbly lines on it before he passed out.

"What on earth?" asked Rose.

"We're not on earth," muttered the Doctor inspecting the lines. Suddenly he recognised them.

"The chip," said the Doctor. He reached into his coat and took out the chip Jack had retrieved from Quasar's gun. "Must be crucial to the ship."

The Doctor shut them in again and got in the pilots seat. He opened a panel on the right of the controls and saw a hole matching the shape of the chip exactly. The thing was that there was a second, identical panel and hole on the other side of the controls. The ship was supposed to have two of the chips.

The Doctor smashed the radio open and used wires from that to split the duties of the one chip to the two locations.

Rose waited in the back of the ship, wondering what was taking so long. She heard a loud slide and click.

"What's that?" she wondered out loud.

The ship rocked a bit as a huge bang sounded. It was followed but a groan and crash of something large and heavy falling.

"Guns," said Rose. "For the door." She smiled. That was how Jack did things—blew them up. But the Doctor was doing it this time. Things must be pretty desperate.

* * *

The Doctor saw the guards enter the ship hold. His shot at the doors must have alerted them to his whereabouts. They were followed by some other men—reinforcements.

He flicked a switch and the engines kicked in. His left engine cut out for a moment before going to full power. The ship shot out of the hold, leaving the guards and their reinforcements in the dust.

Once out of the hold the Doctor could clearly see his TARDIS sitting in the grass a few kilometres away. He rotated the ship a little to the left so it was pointed straight at it.

Once glance at the panelling told the Doctor the engine wouldn't hold the whole distance. It was already nearly at a critical stage.

He was right. The engine cut out half way to the TARDIS.

The Doctor ripped open the control consol of the ship. Wires spurted everywhere. He cut a few and started to modify the ship. If he could convert the power to the guns so it would run the engine he might be able to make it. But that would be a dangerous move on a ship like this. It might just convert the engine into a large, powerful weapon. It was a risk he had to take.

The Doctor made the conversion and powered the engines up again. The ship had trouble understanding the Doctor's new wiring.

The ship moved off at a slow pace. The Doctor searched through the wires and chips looking for something to help speed things up a little. As he did a small hand held computer dropped onto his lap. He picked it up and switched it on.

He scanned the document it stored. With each page his eyes grew wider. This stuff was deadly. It outlined the construction of missiles, warships, weaponry and biological warfare techniques. The document included formulas, blueprints and instructions. Every single page displayed the governments seal proudly.

The Doctor understood. So this ship contained battle plans and weapons information that both sides wanted. Without it the government could be defeated. In fact it seemed the only reason the government kept fighting was in hope they could recover this. The rebels wanted it destroyed to stop these disgusting things being built and used against the rebels and in interplanetary war.

The more the Doctor looked, the more of these weapon plans he found. They must have been planted through out the whole ship. The sooner this ship was destroyed the better.

From the conversation between Quasar and Jack back at the entrance, the Doctor guessed Quasar had wanted these for his own personal financial gain not the rebellion or the government. That was something along the lines of what Jack had been planning. No one was going to be able to sell these plans if the Doctor had anything to do with it.

The Doctor transferred more power to the engines and they rocketed off to complete the distance. While trying to keep the ship straight on its course the Doctor set the self destruct sequence. He put the ship down close enough to the TARDIS for Rose, Jack and him to reach it safely.

The Doctor jumped out of the ship. He hastily opened the cargo bay.

"Rose, this ship is going to self destruct in seconds," said the Doctor quickly.

Rose and the Doctor dragged Jack outof the ship. Theystruggled with his limp weight across to the TARDIS.

Rose took out her key. She fumbled with it in her haste. She dropped it.

"C'mon, Rose," said the Doctor supporting Jack against the TARIDS.

Rose picked up her key and unlocked the TARDIS.

The guards and their reinforcements appeared behind them.

The Doctor and Rose dragged Jack into the TARDIS just as the ship exploded. A spectacular ball of fire shot into the air.

The guards opened fire on the TARDIS.

* * *

The Doctor dropped Jack on the floor of the TARDIS and rushed to the consol. Rose knelt beside Jack while the Doctor prepared the TARDIS for dematerialization.

Outside the guards shot battered the blue box that the prisoners had entered. It looked like it was made of wood but the shots didn't seem to be having affect on it. Without warning the box began to fade from view. Soon it was completely gone.

"Black Fox to HQ. The prisoners' blue box has disappeared and the ship has been destroyed."

* * *

Notes: Apologies if that was a bit disjointed or jumpy but I wrote that a while ago and my writing has improved since then, I promise. Also, I was in a hurry to get to the next bit when I wrote most of that. Please review! 


	2. Just a Kiss

_Title: Rose and Jack_

_Summary: Rose plus Jack plus pressure from an overprotective mother equals something you wouldn't expect from Jack. Mostly straight romance-ish stuff but there is a little action._

_Claimer: I don't think anything but the plot in this chapter is mine._

**_Chapter Two: Just a Kiss _**

_Jackie turned again to see a young man step out of the blue police box in her living room._

"_Hello," said Jackie with a faint smile. _He's a bit good-looking_, thought Jackie. "Who's this then?"_

_Rose's head shot up. "That," she said tersely, "is Captain Jack Harkness." Her syllables were sharp._

* * *

Jack opened his eyes. He felt numb all over. His eyes took a moment to focus. He was in a white room, lying on a bed. Rose was bending over something on a table to his left. 

He grunted and tried to sit up. He couldn't get up.

Rose turned to him.

"Jack?" she said softly.

"Rose," said Jack hoarsely. "What happened?"

"You were shot," said Rose, "by Quasar's men."

"After that?"

"We found the ship and got out. The Doctor blew up the ship."

"Good. All the plans were on board."

"Plans?"

"Weapons, missiles, warships."

"Oh. So that's what you were going on about."

"What?"

"You were talking in your sleep," Rose turned back to whatever it was she had been doing, "about plans and missiles."

"Those plans could have—argh!"

"Relax," said Rose. She touched his forehead. "The Doctor's right. You are getting a fever."

Jack groaned. He was beginning to feel things. The first thing was immense pain on the left side of his stomach region.

"The pain killers are wearing off."

Jack was in too much pain to answer.

"Can you swallow something?" asked Rose.

"Huh?" grunted Jack.

Rose handed Jack a small capsule and a glass of water. He swallowed the tablet and gulped down the water. The pain slowly ebbed away.

Rose turned and left. She returned a moment later with the Doctor.

"He is getting a fever," said Rose quietly.

"Of course he is," said the Doctor. "Anyone else would be dead."

"Thanks," said Jack. He took that as a compliment even though he knew the Doctor hadn't meant it as one.

The Doctor shook his head. "It was a stupid plan, Jack."

"What?" asked Jack, knowing exactly what the Doctor was talking about and wishing he was still unconscious.

"You could have got a lot of people killed by not destroying those plans. If I had had that chance—"

Rose interrupted, "Doctor, do you have to? They're destroyed now."

"He calls himself a time traveller? He messed up a timeline and put a lot of lives in danger!"

"It's not like you've never done that!" said Rose.

Jack was surprised Rose was standing up for him.

"But I always try to avoid it or put it straight again if I do!"

"And it is straight again now, Doctor. So it doesn't matter!"

The Doctor fell silent. He fiddled with something for a moment and then left room.

Jack gently touched Rose on the arm. She turned to look at him.

"Thanks," he said. He hadn't really felt like arguing with the Doctor about timelines and warships.

Rose bit her lip. He knew she didn't like it when she and the Doctor argued. And he also knew that it was twice as bad when it was about him.

Over the past few months the Doctor had begun to dislike Jack. They had been such good friend when they'd first met but now the Doctor was becoming cold. Not that Jack really cared. His interests lay significantly elsewhere. And, Jack guessed, his other interest was exactly what was making the Doctor cold. This girl was important to both of them—though how important the Doctor didn't like to admit.

"I just hope that's the last time," said Rose with a sigh. "I've been arguing with him about if for two days."

"I've been out that long?" asked Jack.

"Like the Doctor said, anyone else would be dead."

* * *

Rose was sitting by herself in the consol. She had no idea where the Doctor was. He'd been doing a few repairs or upgrades or whatever he did to the TARDIS and gone off to find a certain piece. She guessed Jack was in the infirmary. He was feeling a lot better and had got over his fever but the wound was still bothering him. 

She was thinking. Her thoughts revolved around when the Doctor had called her and Jack 'lovebirds' and when Jack had been shot. In fact, they were mainly about Jack and she didn't know why. It was the Doctor and their travels together that had used to occupy all her thoughts. Now it was Jack. The Doctor was still there in her mind and their trips as well. She still thought about him a lot but not quite as much as before. Not now Jack took up a lot of her mental energy.

She had been wrong. Jack wasn't in the infirmary. He entered the consol room.

Rose got up.

"Rose." His voice was low and soft. "I've been doing some thinking."

"Really?" Rose let him put his arm around her. "Thinking 'bout what? Your argument?"

"Argument?" Jack withdrew slightly with a confused expression.

"With the Doctor."

"Oh, _that_. Hasn't even crossed my mind." Jack pulled Rose closer to himself.

Rose suddenly got a very nasty realization as to what _exactly_ had been on Jack's mind. Rose moved her arm and Jack cringed.

"D'you mind."

Before Rose could respond his hand was at the back of her head and her lips were on his. At first, though she'd guessed, Rose was shocked. Then she began to relax. It wasn't so bad. And then she noticed the Doctor standing in the doorway, covered in dust and his knuckles turning yellow clinging to an odd looking thing. His face, as far as she could tell from the corner of her eye, was blank.

Rose wrested herself from Jack. Suddenly it was Jack and the Doctor running around in her head. Jack being the rude, cheesy, womanizing idiot he truly was and the Doctor becoming an offended boyfriend. Oh, she wished he was her boyfriend. And Jack had just fully taken advantage of her and she hadn't even tried to stop him. Worse than that, he'd let the Doctor see them. Perhaps she wouldn't have minded so much if it hadn't been for that.

Her hand struck out—hitting Jack clean across the jaw. Jack stood motionless and surprised with his hands hanging by his sides. That was not the reaction he'd expected.

Rose stormed out of the room through the doorway that was now empty. The Doctor had disappeared.

Rose tossed herself onto her bed. She began to cry. She'd just slapped Jack and he'd done nothing to deserve it—just kissed her. She knew she'd secretly wanted that for a very long time. A kiss from Captain Jack.

But then again, there was the Doctor. A longer time.

She sat up. She wanted to face Jack. She wasn't sure whether she wanted to apologize or give him more of a beating.

* * *

The Doctor struggled with a box in the store room. He hadn't been down here for a very long time. The lights didn't even work. He'd probably redirected the power in a previous adventure. Everything was covered in dust, the labels were rotting and so were some of the boxes. 

_Earth cardboard,_ he decided, _is useless._

He finally got the box out from under two others. The two on top, thankfully, repositioned themselves, spreading their weight on the three surrounding piles. Unfortunately, the bottom of his particular box had been weakened by rot. It ripped open. Its contents hit hard on his feet.

Spitting out a freakish, alien curse the Doctor chucked the box over his shoulder. He bent over and began sorting through the miscellaneous components that had tumbled to the ground.

"So much for transformers," he muttered.

He twisted around to recheck the label on the box, not that he'd read it the first time and not that it would be eligible now and not that it ever was. It didn't matter. He couldn't find the box.

The Doctor had been having trouble concentrating on anything recently. He blamed it on the TARDIS breaking down but that wasn't true. It was, in a way, Rose's fault. She just had to be so completely beautiful, and fun, and just totally fantastic.

_Why couldn't she have been like my other companions? Why did she have to be _perfect

He remembered telling that to Adam Mitchell, someone who had travelled with him for a thankfully short period.

_I only take the best and I've got Rose._

He shook the thoughts of Rose and her perfection out of his head again. It seemed to be all he could think about. He'd even been a little less concerned about the TARDIS than usual.

He realized that, again, Rose had unknowingly and very successfully stopped him fixing the TARDIS. He had remembered that he hadn't come down here for transformers at all but he'd also forgotten what it was that he had come looking for. He chose from the jumble at his feet another TARDIS part that Rose had helped him forget about finding two days back.

If she wanted to stay where they were, she was going about it the right way whether or not she knew it.

The Doctor strolled down the corridors of the TARDIS. He almost felt like whistling. Everything was fantastic, except for his unfortunate case of forgetfulness and lack of concentration. Lovesick, some would call it, but the Doctor was certainly not that.

He pushed open the door to the consol room. The sight that met his eyes slapped him hard in the face. It was worse than when Jackie Tyler, Rose's mother, had declared "If you're a Doctor, stitch this!" and made him feel her protectiveness for Rose. _Almost _felt like whistling.

There was Jack all over his Rose. The Doctor battered that thought back into shape. Jack and Rose were kissing. Rose probably wanted it just as much as Jack. And Rose certainly wasn't the Doctor's Rose. He should have expected as much, in fact he had. That flirtatious, charming American was always going to steal Rose, always. The Doctor had never been good at that sort of thing but Jack, Jack was born to it!

The Doctor felt his grip on the item in his hand get tighter and tighter. He wanted to close his eyes but he couldn't. He wanted to interrupt but he couldn't. He wanted to beat up Jack but he couldn't. He wanted to walk away and that was all he seemed to be able to do.

He turned and left them to it. He kicked himself mentally as he walked. That was all he ever did—run away and leave! Always leaving, always leaving just before the party's over or even before it begins. He knew Rose wouldn't never want someone—man or alien—like that.

He heard a sharp smack of hand against face. Internally he rejoiced at the possibilities. Maybe he'd taken it all wrong and his initial thought had been closer to the truth. Jack probably had been taking advantage of Rose, typical Jack.

Still, the Doctor slammed the door to his room with a vengeance. The walls shook and a picture of a pretty, naturally blonde girl dropped on the ground. The glass shattered.

The Doctor stopped and dropped the TARDIS component on the ground. He hadn't been in this room for an even longer time.

* * *

Jack opened the door of the consol room. He was surprised to find that the Doctor wasn't on the other side. He never left the consol while in the TARDIS, it seemed.

Perhaps this was a good thing. He wasn't blind. It was glaring obvious that the Doctor felt for Rose. But Jack chose to be blind on other matters. He didn't want to see Rose felt the same way for the Doctor. Because, at least to him, it was glaring obvious that he felt for Rose. And why shouldn't he? She was stunning, fun and just perfect.

Rose stood up. He could tell she'd been thinking. He wondered what about. He hoped, though he knew better, that she'd been thinking about someone else standing in that room at that moment.

"Rose." His voice was low and soft. He watched her closely. She seemed to smile just a tiny bit at his attitude. Jack was encouraged. "I've been doing some thinking."

"Really?" she said as he slipped his arms around her slim waist. "Thinking 'bout what? Your argument?"

"Argument?" Jack pulled back a little. He had no idea what she was on about.

"With the Doctor."

"Oh, _that_." That was the least of his concerns. There was another argument he'd probably have with the Doctor but that would be entirely different. "Hasn't even crossed my mind." Jack pulled Rose in again. He loved the feel of her body against his. He hoped she felt the same.

Rose suddenly jerked her arm a little. It rubbed over the wound in his stomach. He unwillingly cringed at the jab of pain.

"D'you mind."

He hadn't expected himself to do it, not here or so at least not so soon. He just suddenly couldn't help himself. And he knew, anyone else, in his position, wouldn't have either. Except that immaculately withdrawn Doctor fellow.

His hand moved up her superbly curved back to her neck. He guided her beautiful lips to meet his. It was everything he hoped, and even imagined, it to be.

He could tell she hadn't exactly expected it either. But she relaxed into it and he was glad.

Then suddenly she tensed up and pulled back. He couldn't see why.

Her hand swung out and hit him very hard over the jaw. Her eyes were a bit misty.

She turned on her heel and steamed out of the room. Jack was left standing, alone and shocked. She had seemed to enjoy it. He must have misjudged her reaction. He had no idea how to ever face her again. He didn't think he even could. He'd had this happen millions of times before and it had never, ever hurt so much. It had certainly been worse on the outside but nothing had ached so much inside.

_Maybe, _he fingered the gun at his hip and eyed off the doors of the TARDIS, _I won't have to face her again._

* * *

Rose paused outside a door. Her mind switched tracks again. Jack was everything plus something. He was good looking, charming, amusing, cheeky, exciting, helpful, dashing and outlandish and a lot more besides. Hold it, who was she kidding? He was _great_ looking. Even her mother would like him, for once a boyfriend of Rose's she'd like! 

But the poor Doctor! It must have hurt, she hoped, to see Jack all over her like that. But then again, maybe the Doctor felt nothing for her. She felt for the Doctor, though, and she didn't like it that Jack had kissed her in front of him.

She rapped on the door and sniffed back her tears again. There was nothing against it now. She knew she loved the Doctor, deeply. She wasn't knocking on this door to tell him that. There were a few things she'd have to get cleared up before she'd do that. And they weren't to be cleared up with Jack. Boy, she didn't even want to see that man again. They were to be cleared up _about_ Jack though.

"Doctor?" said Rose shyly.

She didn't even know how she knew this was his room. It had come up in a long past conversation between the three time travellers. It had begun with something about Jack's 'sleeping habits' as the Doctor had put it. It had gone on from there.

She knocked again. She didn't expect him to want to talk to her. But she really needed something.

"Doctor? Please open the door, Doctor. I'm sorry."

The door slammed open. "You don't need to be sorry."

* * *

The Doctor sat down on the bed gloomily. So much for everything being fantastic. It was far from it.

He inspected the fallen picture from afar. It was a picture of perhaps the only other perfect woman he'd known. Sure there were the very good women like his granddaughter, Susan, a scientist, Liz Shaw, a savage cum mistress of robotic K9, Leela, and others besides. But the particular woman in the picture had been almost as fantastic as Rose. She too was a Galifreyan. Her name was Romanadvoratrelundar. She'd travelled with him in both her first and second incarnations. This was a picture of her in her second incarnation. He slightly regretted leaving her behind in E space but was where she'd wanted to be.

He wouldn't make the same mistake with Rose, he decided, even if she did love Jack. He could keep them both. He just hoped they'd want to stay. He knew Jack would probably be for it. He'd never be able to hold up a 21st century life forever and remain sane. But then again, he might want to take Rose away from the Doctor. He knew Jack wasn't stupid. Jack would have guessed there was something between them, everyone else had and Jack seemed to be supremely qualified for _that_ kind of thing.

The Doctor didn't want to stay bottled up in his room with his thoughts. That's why he travelled, that's why he rarely slept, although thankfully he didn't require much sleep, and that's why he always had companions right from the screaming Susan to robotic smarty-pants K9. He needed distractions from his thoughts. It didn't matter how many times he'd stared into the gaping mouth of possible oblivion, it didn't count how many daleks he'd destroyed or cybermen he'd outsmarted, it didn't seem to make a difference he'd saved the universe countless times, he was still terrified of being alone with his ugly, lonely thoughts.

There was a timid few taps on his door. He stubbornly didn't respond. He knew who it was. Unless it was the ghost of companions past, it would be Rose. Jack would never be so timid about anything, even knocking on the door of the man whose girl he'd kiss and who could strand him on Zootamus-3 to be consumed by six foot slugs. Though, he reminded himself, there was no such planet as Zootamus-3.

"Doctor?" It was Rose's shy voice that he heard.

The Doctor wanted to plug his ears and block her out. He didn't feel like facing her right now, even if she had given Jack some of what he deserved. The Doctor knew Jack deserved some more of that later on. But now he just wanted to stay here. Then again, not if his memories and thoughts were planning to keep him company.

The knock was repeated.

"Doctor? Please open the door, Doctor. I'm sorry."

The Doctor jumped to his feet. _She shouldn't say that. _Jack_ kissed _her_. Jack needs to apologize. _He slammed the door open and, as an afterthought, he added, _to you._ "You don't need to be sorry."

"But Doctor," stuttered Rose.

They both stood stone still and stared at each other, carefully planning their next move.

A rebel tear slipped down Rose's cheek. Of all things, she didn't want to cry now.

"So it is your room." She tried to sound cheerful and nonchalant.

The Doctor was unsure how to respond.

Silence returned.

"Oh, forget it!" cried Rose. "I want to go home. I want to kill Jack."

It hadn't meant to come out sounding that violent. At least it gave the Doctor a better idea of how she felt. But she didn't truly want to murder Jack. She was just very upset and moody. It was difficult being torn between two very good men both of whom she'd felt for.

"So do I," the Doctor almost added but he thought better. That wasn't what Rose needed now. She needed her mummy.

* * *

The Doctor walked out into the corridor. He struck off toward the consol room. Rose trailed after him.

As he cautiously pushed open the door, Rose got a shock from the sight in the consol room. Jack hadn't moved, still standing with his back toward the door. That was why he hadn't seen the Doctor and hadn't understood Rose's reaction. His hand was firmly wrapped around his gun and he was holding it a little away from his body. Though it wasn't pointing at him, Rose could tell it would soon be.

She rushed past the Doctor. She dived at Jack and ripped the gun from his grip. It skittled across the consol room and Rose tripped to the ground. Jack was unmoved.

"Don't you dare!" Rose's words were pointed and passionate. "Don't even think about it." She was almost ready to slap the man again. "Don't, Jack. Do not kill yourself."

Jack just stared straight ahead almost oblivious that anything had even happened.

The Doctor felt uncomfortable. He walked over to the consol and, with a bent head, set to work getting them to Rose's home. And work it was, the consol was a mess from all his tinkering.

Five minutes of the tense atmosphere was too much for the Doctor—and the TARDIS. He gave the consol a kick. The bang made Rose and the Doctor jump. Jack seemed to be frozen in time. The TARDIS suddenly kicked back—it kicked into life.

The Doctor could almost hug the TARDIS. Anything to get out of the stiffness of the moment.

Suddenly Jack relaxed. He turned to the consol. It seemed for a moment he was going to go on like nothing had happened. But he stepped up to the consol, silently, and fixed his attention on a random speck of dust.

The room immediately relaxed a little though Jack was still upset. Rose pulled herself to her feet on the consol and looked at the Doctor's blurred face. She wiped the tears away. Boy, she was giving these men mixed messages! One moment she's slapping him and the next she screaming at him to keep himself alive. One second she's telling him she could kill Jack and the next she's saving the person she just said she'd murder.

She just wanted to get back to London and times familiar to her, run home and get a hug from mummy. But now she just wanted to curl up on her lap and cry like when that boy at school when she was six had pushed her into the mud. Or when she was thirteen and another one had torn her shirt. Or when she was sixteen and someone had tripped her onto this guy who then thought she was trying to pick him up. Now she was nineteen and it was a kiss.

* * *

The Doctor pushed open the doors. Rose recognized the familiar surrounds of her living room. She slowly walked out.

There was her mother, carefully wiping up a brand new table. It had taken her a while to replace the one Rose and the Doctor had shatter back so long ago when they'd first met. Either that, or the Doctor had gotten the time wrong.

"Rose?" Jackie got up.

She dropped her cloth and wrapped her arms tightly around her daughter.

"What brings you back this time?" she asked putting Rose at arms length to examine her. "I hope you're not planning on any more alien 'friends' visiting."

Rose shook her head and held back the tears. Jackie noticed that her beloved child had been crying.

"What's the matter, honey?"

Just then the Doctor appeared. He looked uncomfortable and tense. Something told Jackie that it had nothing to do with being back here in her presence.

"So you've finally decided to bring her back then?" She looked between the sullen Doctor and teary-eyed Rose. "What did you do to 'er?"

The Doctor immediately looked at Rose.

"Don't avoid the question!" snapped Jackie, stepping toward the stranger.

"It wasn't him, Mum."

Jackie gave the Doctor one more glare and then turned back to Rose. "Well, who was it then?"

Rose swallowed and looked down at her feet.

"Ahem," the Doctor coughed.

Jackie turned again to see a young man step out of the blue police box in her living room.

"Hello," said Jackie with a faint smile. _He's a bit good-looking, _thought Jackie. "Who's this then?"

Rose's head shot up. "That," she said tersely, "is Captain Jack Harkness." Her syllables were sharp.

Jackie got the hint that something wasn't quite right.

"Was it 'im?" asked Jackie, eyeing the newcomer.

Rose grabbed her mother's wrist and dragged her down to her bedroom. She dropped onto the bed, looking at her surroundings fondly.

"Rose, something's up with you." Jackie sat down next to her. "Are you going to tell your Mum what's up?"

Rose scrunched up her face in a futile attempt not to cry. "It's all so complicated." She buried her face in her mum.

"It's alright, honey." Jackie stroked the girl's hair. "Tell me when your ready."

Five or so minutes later, Rose mumbled into her mum's jumper, "It was Jack."

Jackie let Rose sit up and brushed back a stray hair or two. She caressed her daughter's cheek.

"He kissed me," began Rose. She quickly blurted out, "And that would have been okay if…" _the Doctor hadn't seen it._ "If it wasn't for the other stuff. If it hadn't…" _been in the TARDIS. _"If he hadn't…"_ seen us together._

Rose couldn't explain her problem. She knew that Jackie would just go off at both men and the Doctor would probably leave and that's the last thing she needed. And she didn't really want to admit her feelings for the Doctor.

But Jackie didn't need Rose to finish the sentences. She finished them herself. And from the way Jackie raised her eyebrow, Rose could tell that Jackie's conclusions were a little darker than the truth.

"The rat," muttered Jackie.

"Mum…"

Jackie stood up. "Don't worry Rose. I'll deal with him. He'll be sorry he ever touched you!"

Jackie stormed from the room and Rose buried her face in her quilt. "No, Mum," she muttered, much too late. "It wasn't like that."

* * *

Jackie walked into the living room. Jack and the Doctor stood a few metres apart, staring at each other.

"Well, Mr. Harkness," Jackie exploded.

The Doctor edged toward the TARDIS door.

"I think you have some explaining to do!"

Jack stared blankly at the angry mother. Under normal circumstances some flirting might have been in order but right now, that was the last thing he wanted to do… ever again.

The TARDIS door closed with a slam. The Doctor had vanished inside.

"Well, I'm waiting," said Jackie.

* * *

Rose crawled to the head of her bed and squeezed her pillow. She could hear her mother screaming at Jack. He didn't say a thing.

"What have I done?" she cried.

* * *

"How dare you touch my daughter!" screamed Jackie. "If she says no, she means no. You keep your hands off her."

Jack folded his arms, wondering what Rose had told the woman.

"Come to think of it, you won't have any hands once I'm done."

"I get the feeling you don't want me here," muttered Jack.

"Good to see you understand something, you scoundrel."

"You want me gone? Is that what you want?" Jack talked so quietly and mildly that Jackie got even more riled.

"You nincompoop! Of course we do! You don't deserve the earth you walk on."

Jackie's hand found an ornament. It curled around it. She'd never really liked it and she had a much better use to put it to.

"Fine then!" Jack raised his voice for the first time. "I'm gone! I'm leaving. You won't ever see me again. Not ever."

Jack turned and yanked open the door of the TARDIS.

"Don't think you're going to get off that easy, you fool." Jackie followed the man in. The Doctor jumped as the ornament-wielding woman charged Jack.

"Mum!" Rose's shout froze everyone.

Jackie's arm fell to her side. The ornament shattered on the TARDIS floor. Jackie glared at Jack's back and then the Doctor.

"Don't think I won't have a few words for you, mister." She hurried out of the TARDIS, toward Rose's room.

* * *

Rose slipped out of the kitchen and pussyfooted into the TARDIS after her mother disappeared. It was just the Doctor, bent of the consol, desperately trying to look very busy.

Rose hurried past. She quickly found Jack's door and knocked.

"Jack?"

"What did you tell her?" he shouted through the closed door.

"Not much," said Rose.

Jack's door flung open. "You had to tell her something. I only kissed you for crying out loud. It's not like…"

Rose cut him off. "I'm sorry, Jack. She just drew her own conclusions."

"Ah," said Jack rolling his eyes. "After _you _hinted at it."

"Jack, I said nothing of the sort. I couldn't say that about you."

He just shook his head and turned his back on her. Rose saw a bag on the floor, stuffed with various personal artefacts of Jack's.

Rose edged into the room. She held her hands behind her back, fiddling with a few things that lay on his beside table. "Don't go. I don't want you to go."

"Well, you've made it clear enough that you don't want me to stay."

"No, Jack! That was Mum. I want…" She stopped.

Jack whirled around. "See, you can't say it. You can't say you want me to stay. If you really did, you could say it."

Rose looked at the ground as her fingers touched something behind her back. She quickly slipped it into her pocket.

"But, Jack, I want to say it. I do. I really do," she protested. "I…"

He shook his head. "No, you don't Rose."

He returned to his packing and Rose slowly left the room.

* * *

"Rose?" Jackie pushed open the girl's door. "Rose?"

The room was empty. She quickly checked the bathroom, her own bedroom and the kitchen. Finally she marched into the living room just as the Doctor appeared in the TARDIS doorway.

"Where is she?"

"Rose?"

"Of course, Rose, stupid."

The Doctor folded his arms and leant on the doorframe of his ship. "Sorry, but I haven't seen her," he lied. He had seen her sneaking past to talk with Jack.

"Don't you look so smug," she said. "You could have done something!"

The Doctor straightened, startled. "About what?"

"Jack Harkness."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Well, it isn't my fault he happens to be the universes number one… flirter."

"It was a little more than flirting," growled Jackie.

"I don't know anything," he said quickly.

"How can you let that kind of thing go on in your TARDIS and not do anything about it?"

The Doctor turned around and sauntered back into the TARDIS. "I said I don't know anything about it. Don't ask. What Jack and Rose do is between Jack and Rose and I don't want to hear about it."

Jackie strode across the consol room. "Where are they?"

The Doctor ignored her.

"Where is my daughter…"

Before Jackie could add a questionable name Rose walked into the room. "I think I'm going to bed," she muttered.

"Good idea," said Jackie. "And _you_ don't have to come back after disposing of that Harkness man," she added, spitting the words in the Doctor's direction.

OOO Rose pulled her quilt tighter. She fingered the gun, Jack's gun, Jack's gun she stole. He surely wouldn't leave without it.

She glanced at her clock. It was half past ten. She'd been in bed for nearly eight hours with the gun. She hadn't heard the TARDIS dematerialize but she had slept at some point.

There was a light tapping on her door. Rose sat up eagerly. "Come in?"

Jackie's head appeared around the door. Rose stuffed the gun under her pillow.

"Hi, Mum," she said, resting her head on her knees.

"Are you alright?"

Rose just shrugged. She was too confused to give an answer to that.

Jackie came and sat on the foot of her bed.

"Have they gone?" Rose asked quietly.

Jackie shook her head and frowned. "I'll tell them to get on with it."

"No, no," said Rose. "They'll leave when they're ready. The Doctor won't want to hang around."

They fell silent.

"Was it just once?" asked Jackie.

"What?"

"Jack…"

"Mum," began Rose. "It was… just a kiss."

"But," started Jackie.

"It's only that…" Rose trailed off again.

"I'm not going to tell anyone, Rose," said Jackie. "You can tell me everything that happened."

"It was a kiss, Mum. He kissed me. He kissed me and I slapped him. We came back here."

Jackie looked at the floor. "I don't think I understand."

"I don't either," admitted Rose.

"Rose, what happened after the kiss?"

"Uh…" That's all she said.

"Don't worry, Rose," said Jackie, believing Rose's unspoken, unintended lie. "He won't do it again."

She quietly left and Rose buried her face back in her pillow. Why couldn't she just explain it to her mum?

* * *

Rose's door slammed open. Rose sat up with a start. A tall figure loomed in the door way.

"Give it to me," it said.

"Jack?"

Jack stepped forward, moonlight from Rose's window falling across his path. "Give it to me."

"Jack, don't go," muttered Rose, feeling the spot on her pillow under which lay the gun. She'd known Jack wouldn't have left without it.

"Give me the gun, Rose. You can't keep it. Someone might find it and then how are you going to explain it?" Jack came closer.

"Jack, don't go," repeated Rose.

"Give me the gun."

Rose slipped out of bed.

"Jack, I don't want you to leave."

"You still can't say it," stated Jack. "Just give me the gun and we can finish this for once and for all."

"Please…" Rose forgot what she was planning to say. Her mind was wandering. She was thinking about the Doctor of all people. She knew that if Jack went he would too.

Rose rushed forward and flung her arms around Jack. "I want you to stay." Jack let his arms fall around Rose's waist but in her head it wasn't Jack she saw—she spoke to. It was the Doctor.

* * *

A blinding light flicked on.

"You dirty little," began Jackie. "Get out."

Jack released Rose's waist and lips.

"Mum!" protested Rose.

Jack quickly turned, not looking at either of the women though Rose thought she caught something like betrayal in his eyes. He left… without his gun.

"Jack, stay!" shouted Rose, running to the door.

"Rose?" said Jackie slowly.

"Mum, let me sort this out myself," pleaded Rose. "I can do it."

"Then why did you come to me?" asked Jackie, tears forming in her eyes.

"Because I was confused. Because I needed to recuperate." She saw the sadness in her mother's eyes. "Because I needed a hug," she whispered. "But now I have to deal with this because I'm the only one who knows everything that is going on."

Rose hurried after Jack leaving her mother behind. Jackie sat on Rose's empty bed like she had so many nights after Rose had left with the Doctor. She never told her where she was going or why. She always just left. Sometimes with a few loving words but never enough.

She punched Rose's pillow in frustration. She cradled her sore hand and looked under the pillow. Pillows were not supposed to be that hard.

It may have looked alien, at the least, outlandish but Jackie recognized what that object was. "What are you going to do to yourself, Rose?"

* * *

"Jack?" called Rose softly.

She found him leaning against the TARDIS in the total darkness of the living room.

"Jack, sorry about Mum."

"Why don't you tell her Rose? She thinks I…"

Rose didn't want to hear what Jack thought Jackie thought. She didn't even want to think about it.

"I know. I just can't seem to explain why I'm so upset. I mean all you did was kiss me."

"Twice," added Jack.

Rose could sense a faint smile. She came closer and brushed her lips against his cheek.

Jack turned his head a little. "Why are you so upset?"

Rose looked at the floor.

"If you don't want me, just tell me."

Rose shook her head. "It's not that. I can't explain it. I can't explain it to anyone. Not even myself."

Jack rested against the TARDIS again. "Oh."

Rose looked up at him shyly. "Or then again, maybe I can."

* * *

Rose rolled onto her back and blinked her eyes. She sat up with a start and almost fell of the sofa.

"What?" she muttered to herself. "What am I doing on the _sofa_?"

Vague memories of a very late night returned to her. "Oh no."

She looked at herself. She was still dressed in her jeans and tee-shirt, which she'd been wearing since she'd arrived.

She quickly looked around. There was no one but the TARDIS in sight.

"What happened?" she asked the blue box.

She half expected it to answer. The Doctor always seemed to act like it was alive.

Then voices did come from it. But she recognized those voices.

She jumped to her feet and flung open the door.

"No, Mum!" she shouted. "Oh, hi, Doctor."

"Morning." He looked up from the consol. He didn't look to happy.

"Sorry about them."

"I thought Jack wanted to leave."

Rose shifted her feet uneasily. "He was going to."

She still felt uncomfortable around the Doctor.

"You just can't keep doing this to her." Jackie's voice floated into the consol room. "This time, I want you to go very far away, got that?"

"What do I have to do to convince you? I'm innocent. I didn't do anything to your daughter. You ask her."

"You've scared her so much she can't talk about it."

There was a loud crashing sound.

The Doctor cringed.

"Sorry," muttered Rose.

Jack stormed into the consol room. "Ah. Tell her Rose."

Jackie appeared behind him. She hurried to her daughter's side.

"I've tried." Rose looked directly at Jack, almost ignoring her mother. "I can't seem to make her understand that it was a kiss and that's as far as it went. All three times."

The Doctor glanced at Rose. Rose avoided his look.

Jackie looked from Rose to Jack and back again. "Just a kiss? Why were you so torn up over a kiss?"

"Because… because I still had a few questions to settle," said Rose. "I wasn't sure I really wanted it but now I've answered the questions so I'm okay, alright?" Rose looked at no one, just the TARDIS.

"Would you be able to take domestic arguments out of the TARDIS?" said the Doctor, burying himself in the TARDIS consol.

"Sure, we're finished here anyway," said Rose.

She walked across to Jack, took his hand and led him from the TARIDS. Jackie followed a moment later.

* * *

Notes: I'm quite pleased with that chapter myself. Not sure why Jack almost killed himself though. It just happened. Please review! 


	3. Just a Kiss, Fiddlesticks

_Title: Rose and Jack (creative, I know)_

_Summary: Rose plus Jack plus pressure from an overprotective mother equals something you wouldn't expect from Jack. Mostly straight romance-ish stuff but there is a little action._

_Claimer: The mysterious mother and daughter are mine. And Jack's middle name._

**_

* * *

_ **

Chapter Three: Just a Kiss, Fiddlesticks

"_I thought we were saying it was just a kiss," said Rose._

"_Seriously, Rose," said Jack._

_Rose laughed and hugged him. "Seriously, Jack._ _Okay."_

* * *

"She's not listening to either of us," complained Jack as the two of them sat on opposite side's of Rose's bed, back to back.

"She can be very stubborn," sighed Rose. "I suppose it's my fault. If I'd said the things I'd said in the TARDIS just a moment ago in the first place, she would have been fine with it."

Jack reached back and took Rose's hand again. "That may not have been a good thing."

Rose turned around, increasing her grip on his hand just a little.

"What do you mean?" she said, kneeling on the bed.

"You mayn't have answered your questions… in the same way," said Jack.

"Oh?"

Rose slipped her hand out of Jack's. She shuffled over to her pillow and searched under it. She went pale.

"Jack."

"Yeah?"

"It's not here."

Jack looked over at Rose. "It's not? What's not?"

"Your gun," said Rose. "I put it under my pillow."

Jack frowned.

"Sorry," said Rose. "But I had to convince you to stay somehow. I want you to stay, Jack." This time she was talking to the man in front of her. The Doctor was the farthest thing from her mind.

Jack slipped a hand into his pocket, fingering something.

"Rose," said Jack, slowly.

"I'll find your gun, I promise," she said.

"No, that's okay. Let's forget about the gun for a moment."

"Okay."

Jack moved a little closer to Rose. "Rose, I can't say there weren't times when I wished we did share more than just a kiss."

Rose folded her arms. "I could tell," she whispered, blushing.

"I know this is going to sound sudden and a bit strange," said Jack. "But I've got to do something about this before we get some where I'll regret."

"You, Jack Harkness, regret something like that?" laughed Rose.

"Well, you're mom would make me regret it," said Jack, struggling to smile. "Anyway. I can see only one solution."

"Mm?"

"Rose, you have to marry me."

"Is this supposed to be a proposal?" cried Rose, jumping to her feet.

"Something like that," said Jack. He pulled his hand from his pocket.

In it was a ring. It was a band of something that looked like gold but infinitely more… shiny? The gem was crystalline, elaborate yet somehow subtle and definitely alien though it could pass for a particularly fine diamond.

"Wow," mouthed Rose.

"Well?"

"I thought we were saying it was just a kiss," said Rose.

"Seriously, Rose," said Jack.

Rose laughed and hugged him. "Seriously, Jack. Okay."

"Okay?"

"Yes, I do, alright?" Rose bent over Jack and kissed his lips gently. "And then you can have it, right?"

Jack smiled and Rose batted him playfully with her pillow.

Jack grabbed the girl's hand and pulled her onto the bed. He wrapped her in a passionate kiss before slipping the ring onto her left hand.

* * *

"Hi, Rose," the tall brunette wrapped the short blonde in a big, friendly hug. "How have you been lately? It seems like I haven't seen you for years."

_You wouldn't know_. Rose almost laughed at the thought. "Well, it's been a long time."

"Oh, wow," said Rose's best friend, Shireen, as they sat down in the quaint café. "No hiding it, Rosey. You have the most amazing gem I've ever seen sitting on your _left _ring finger and you told me you just wanted to catch up!"

Rose smiled and put her hand on the table.

"Alright, I didn't know that Smith boy had so much money!" laughed Shireen. "Should have told me."

Rose laughed. She'd forgotten all about Mickey. "It's not from him."

Shireen raised one eyebrow. "That bloke you ran off to Europe with?"

"Europe?" So that's what her mum had told all her friends. "Ah, no not him."

"Spill, honey. Who else is there?"

"His name is Jack Harkness. He's an American I met travelling with the Doctor, um, the guy I went to Europe with."

"How long have you known him? You've been away for eighteen months and you're already getting married. Are you sure? Not just marrying him for the ring are we?"

Rose laughed it off. "It seems like a lot longer than that." At least now she knew how long she was supposed to have been gone. "And he's the kind of guy that isn't going to wait."

"With the way you're going, I'm not surprised he wants to finalize his catch so soon."

"Shireen!" Rose jabbed the girl with a finger.

"So when do I get to meet Mr. Special?"

Rose shrugged. "At the latest, the wedding but I was thinking you could be my maid of honour."

"Absolutely, girl!"

A waiter came and took their orders. After he left, Shireen looked at Rose seriously. "And how did Mum take it?"

"Actually," admitted Rose, "I haven't told her. She's not on best terms with Jack, you see. They kind of got off on the wrong foot, a misunderstanding."

"Oh," said Shireen. "Not surprised. Daughter is gone for over a year and comes back with wedding plans."

"Actually, I've been back for a day and he proposed this morning."

"Okay. So how did he do it?"

Rose laughed. "It was the most unromantic proposal ever."

* * *

Rose pushed open the door, smiling like a maniac from a good time. She threw herself onto a sofa, wondering where Jack was.

"Hi, sweetie," said Jackie appearing from the laundry. "You have a good time."

"It was great to see Shireen again," said Rose.

She quickly stuffed her hand into her pocket but the quick movement caught Jackie's attention. The ring caught on the pocket and Jackie saw it.

"What's this then?" she asked with a faint smile, joining her daughter on the sofa.

"A ring." Rose stated the obvious.

"It looks suspiciously like an engagement ring to me."

Just then, Jack emerged from the TARDIS. It couldn't have been worse timing.

"Uh." Rose's voice was strangled. "It is. Yes, it's an engagement ring. Yeah."

"And…? Is there something you should tell me?"

"Probably," stalled Rose.

Jackie gestured that Rose should continue. Jack watched from the TARDIS doorway, unsure what Rose wanted him to do.

Rose glanced at Jack.

Jackie also looked at the man.

"It's not…"

"Yes," Rose just managed to say. She stood up, next to Jack. "Yes, I am. I'm engaged to Jack." She nodded as he slipped his arm around her.

"For how long, then?" stuttered Jackie.

"Since this morning," said Rose, defensive for some reason.

"And you didn't tell me?"

"I was going out with Shireen!" protested Rose.

"You didn't tell me, Rose. Why not? I'm not going to kill him." She eyed Jack. "Yet."

"Mum," pleaded Rose. "I was busy."

"Too busy to tell your own mother that you're getting married. Thank you very much, Rose."

"Frankly, I'm not surprised she wanted to keep it quiet. They way you've been acting…" began Jack.

"You just stay out of this," snapped Jackie. "It's between me and Rose. None of your business."

"Mum! It's lots of his business."

Jackie folded her arms. "Rose, I still love you no matter what happens and I just hope you'll still love me."

"I do, Mum! I really do." Rose stepped out of Jack's grasp and put her hands on her mum's arms. "I always will. It's just that right now you're being a bit difficult. Even you can see that. I've explained it too you but you're just not getting it! You're just jealous. You're just being silly!" Rose couldn't help but let her voice escalate.

She immediately regretted it as Jackie squeezed her eyes shut. "Mum, I didn't mean…"

Jackie wrested herself from her daughter's grasp and stalked out of the room, not wanting Jack to see her cry.

"That went well," said Rose sourly.

Jack stepped forward and wrapped both arms around his girl's shoulders. Rose buried her face in his arms.

* * *

Rose picked up the sonic screwdriver from the ground and fingered it gently. She scanned the consol room again. The Doctor was no where to be seen.

"Doctor?"

Jack poked his head through the door. "You okay?"

Rose nodded. "I'm just going to find the Doctor. I'd better tell him before he follows Mum's lead."

Jack's expression became unreadable and he nodded before withdrawing to the house.

"Doctor!" called Rose.

Suddenly he appeared in the doorway to the consol room. His arms were folded and he leant against the door jamb with one leg cross over the other.

Rose jumped and dropped the sonic screwdriver. She quickly scooped it up and held it out to him, one hand latched in her jeans.

"Um, here."

He snatched it and stuffed it in his pocket.

"I've got some news," said Rose.

"So he asked you," said the Doctor.

Rose nodded. "How…?"

The Doctor didn't reply to her unasked question and she got the feeling he wouldn't whether or not she asked it.

"So are you going to stick around?"

"I don't see why. You wouldn't want to be gallivanting around the universe with a family, Rose Tyler."

"Well, Jack and I aren't certain we want to settle down on Earth or this century. And you never know, we might want to go honeymooning on Pluto…"

"Oh, great, the Doctor's Wondrous Interplanetary Honeymoon Service." He punctuated his words by waving his arms around. "Nice, Rose… Tyler."

"Doctor, I didn't mean it like that…" She sighed. "I'd like you to stick around for the wedding anyway. It just wouldn't be right without you there."

"It's not like I'm the groom," he muttered.

"Doctor, please."

He just looked at her, at her hand and the ring. She noticed his gaze.

"It's beautiful isn't it?"

"Yes, yes, of course it is, Rose Tyler."

"Why…" She began but didn't have the heart to finish. _…do you keep using my surname?_

"Are you okay… with this?" she asked suddenly.

"What?"

"Me and Jack."

"Why shouldn't I be?'

Rose scuffed her foot on the floor. "I dunno. Jealous maybe."

The Doctor attempted a laugh. "Of course not, Rose Tyler."

Rose leant against the consol tentatively. "I'm going to miss you," she said, staring at the time rotor.

The Doctor patted the TARDIS's wall. "She'll miss you too."

Rose began, "I…" _was saying that to you._

* * *

Rose walked down the aisle, accompanied by her mother. She looked up at two smiling faces—Jack and her bridesmaid, Shireen—and two serious faces—the Doctor and the minister. She took a quick breath as she stepped in line with Jack. He caught her hands in his. She smiled.

"Who gives this woman to be married to this man?"

Jackie merely flopped into a pew.

The Doctor snorted. "Man…" he muttered. Shireen snickered.

"Doctor," pleaded Rose.

Jack rolled his eyes. He'd been expecting it but the Doctor's constant teasing was surprising in a way. It didn't seem like something the Doctor would do even if Jack has stolen his girl.

"Ahem," coughed the minister.

"Just go on," whispered Rose.

"Rose Marion Tyler, do you take Jack Philip Harkness to love and to cherish faithfully through sickness and health, for better and for worse, till death do you part?"

"I do," said Rose.

"Jack Philip Harkness, do you take Rose Marion Tyler to love and to cherish faithfully through sickness and health, for better and for worse, till death do you part?"

"Yep," said Jack with a grin.

The Doctor slapped his forehead.

"Doctor, he can say what ever he wants."

"So long as it's yes," put in Shireen.

"I didn't say anything!" said the Doctor innocently.

The minister folded his arms.

"Keep going!" said Rose.

"I think you should be standing a little closer to Shireen," piped up Jackie.

"As far away from me as possible, I guess," muttered the Doctor.

"Do you mind!" cried Rose taking a small step backwards. "Is that better, Mum?"

Jackie nodded.

The Doctor flicked through the order of ceremonies. "Best man," he muttered. "I'm not technically a man."

"Doctor! Please," said Rose, snatching the pamphlet from him. "We'll never get the rehearsal done if you keep going on like this!"

The Doctor folded his arms.

"Now are you or aren't you going to read each other vows?" asked the minister.

Rose shook her head.

"Okay, now we'll exchange the rings, then you can kiss the bride."

Jack leant over Rose and gave her a quick peck on her lips she giggled until she saw the Doctor fluttering his eyelashes. Shireen finally lost it and burst out laughing.

"Doctor! Quit being so childish!"

"There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes," he muttered.

"I gotta go," said Jackie standing up. "Sorry, sweetheart."

Rose went to hug her mum goodbye but she was gone. Rose didn't even know where.

Jack took her hand and squeezed it.

"I think I'm loosing her," said Rose sadly and quiet.

Jack kissed her hair.

"Can we finish up?" asked the Doctor rudely. "There will be plenty of time for that… later."

* * *

Rose walked down the aisle, accompanied by her mother. She looked up at three smiling faces—Jack, her bridesmaid, Shireen, and the minister—and one disinterested face—the Doctor. She took a quick breath as she stepped in line with Jack. He caught her hands in his. She smiled.

"Who gives this woman to be married to this man?"

"I do," said Jackie, wiping a tear from her eye.

She straightened her toffee coloured dress as she slipped into her seat.

Rose glanced out over the small church. There were few people there. There were a few of Roses cousins and aunts. Mickey was there, in the back of the church, with Tricia. A couple of close friends were also congregated in the church. There was also a mother and daughter whom Rose didn't recognize.

"I'd like to invite Rose's cousin, Melissa, to read a poem."

Rose was oblivious to the words as she looked back into Jack's eyes. That's all there was. Even the Doctor's sad face in the background didn't distract her.

"Rose Marion Tyler, do you take Jack Philip Harkness to love and to cherish faithfully through sickness and health, for better and for worse, till death do you part?"

"I do," said Rose.

"Jack Philip Harkness, do you take Rose Marion Tyler to love and to cherish faithfully through sickness and health, for better and for worse, till death do you part?"

"I do," said Jack.

He stared into Roses eyes so intensely Rose had to look down. She squeezed his hand a little tighter.

Jack took a ring from the minister and put it around Rose's finger. He repeated the ministers words, "I, Jack, give you this ring as a symbol of our love. Take it and wear it knowing I will always be faithful to you." He slid it into place.

Rose's voice faded as she repeated the words back to him, "I, Rose, give you this ring as a symbol of our love. Take it and wear it knowing I will always be faithful to you." She pushed a ring onto his finger.

"You may now kiss the bride."

* * *

Notes: Aww… Ain't he cute? Despite the unromantic proposal. Please review! 


	4. News and Tears

_Title: Rose and Jack_

_Summary: Rose plus Jack plus pressure from an overprotective mother equals something you wouldn't expect from Jack. Mostly straight romance-ish stuff but there is a little action._

_Claimer: The is News mine, or should I say Rose and Jack's? You'll have to read it before I tell you what the News is._

**_Chapter Four: News and Tears _**

_Rose snuggled closer to Jack. Light from the tellie washed over the couple who were otherwise shrouded in darkness._

_Jackie sobbed and started toward them. A leather-clad arm stopped her. She pushed against it but the Doctor pulled her away. She buried her face on his shoulder. He shifted his feet uncomfortably._

* * *

Rose's eyes shot open. She lay totally still on her mother's bed. She and her mum had swapped beds after the wedding. Rose didn't understand why Jackie was willing to do it but she had been the one to offer. 

She sat up like a poker as she heard the sounds that woke her—her mother swearing. She never heard her mum swear much, especially when she was alone.

Rose slipped out of bed and grabbed her dressing gown. She shuffled into the kitchen with a sleepy expression. The first thing she noticed was the clock. It was only just five o'clock. Since she and Jack had been sharing a bed, Rose had been sleeping like a log… after she fell asleep.

"Are you alright, love?" asked Jackie.

Then Rose noticed her mum. Her hands were thrust under heavily running water from the tap. Blood mingled with it. Rose saw the stained knife and the blood spilt on the cutting board.

"Oh, Mum, are _you _alright?" Rose started forward with a tea towel to blot the streaming blood.

Jackie shut off the water and refused Rose's help. "I'm fine. Just a little accident with the knife."

"It didn't sound so little."

Rose scanned the kitchen. The floor was covered with a few pieces of carrot and the broken slivers of a glass bowl. The stove was on and water was boiling over. The fridge was open a crack and something on the bench wrapped in a tea towel was sending up a stink.

"What has been going on?" asked Rose, trying not to laugh despite the concern that was spread across her face.

"I was cooking," muttered Jackie defensively.

"We're not cannibals," kidded Rose as she inspected her mother's hand. Her thumb looked like it had been almost severed off. "You really didn't need to…" She, Jack and Jackie had rarely been eating anything but take-out or wedding leftovers during the whole nine months since Rose had come home.

Suddenly Jackie burst into tears. "I just feel so useless… left out…"

Rose wrapped her arms around her mum. "Oh, Mum…"

She was interrupted by another stream of swearing.

"Oh, brother," she muttered. "I'll be a moment."

She hurried back to her, her mum's bedroom. The bed was now empty and the bathroom door was only a little ajar. She made for the door when she noticed something on the sheets. She peeled them back and recognized blood.

"Jack, honey, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he grunted and the bathroom door slammed shut.

"There's blood on the sheets," said Rose walking up to the door.

The door creaked open. Jack leant against the wall, his arms folded across his chest. He was wearing jeans and an old tee-shirt Rose had told him to put in the wash.

"Are you sure you're alright?"

"Are you okay? You're not usually up this early."

Rose folded her arms. "If you don't want my help, fine, but I'm worried about you Jack."

Suddenly he winced.

"I am. Fine." He only just managed the sentence.

"Sure," muttered Rose.

She cocked her head and stared at him. He walked passed her, kissing her on the head.

Rose turned and watched him walk to the bed. He was limping slightly.

"I'll clean this up if you want."

"I'd better go check on Mum. At least she'll tell me if something's up."

Jack ignored the comment and stripped the sheets from the bed like he'd done it a hundred times before.

* * *

Rose wandered back to the kitchen. Jackie was kneeling on the floor, thumb still bleeding, cleaning up the floor. 

"Does everyone here have a blatant disregard for their health?" she complained, irritated. "You…"

She caught a whiff of the air in the kitchen and pitched against the sink, spilling in the contents of her stomach down the drain.

"Rose!" Jackie cried, jumping to her feet and clutching her daughter's shoulders.

Jack immediately joined them. The mood in the room chilled as soon as he stepped through the door.

"Babe, you okay?" he muttered leaning over her.

Jackie withdrew to dispose of the offending item.

"I'm fine," Rose spat and promptly threw up again.

"Now who is disregarding her health?" asked Jackie.

Rose washed out her mouth. "It's that." She pointed to the item in Jackie's hands and plugged her nose.

"C'mon," said Jack.

He wrapped his arms around her and led her off to the living room. Jackie sighed and dropped the offending meat into the garbage and tied up the bag.

"What are you doing, Jack?" protested Rose as Jack opened the door of the TARDIS. Despite his threats, the Doctor was still hanging around. He claimed that the TARDIS was playing up but Rose wasn't so sure.

"Getting you checked out," said Jack. "I don't think it was the off meat."

"Jack!" Rose continued her protests.

"The infirmary now!" he commanded.

Rose gave in and Jack propelled her into the TARDIS.

"Morning, Doctor," she said cheerily. "I just have to use the infirmary."

The Doctor nodded, not looking up.

Rose hurried off, leaving Jack in the consol room. Jack followed her but found the infirmary door slammed in his face.

"Rose?"

"I'll just be a minute."

* * *

Rose stared at the readouts. She checked them against the manual in her hand again and again. There was no mistaking them. 

"Mum is going to die!" she moaned.

"Rose? Are you alright in there?" Jack hammered on the door.

"Fine." The word tripped on her tongue and just stumbled out to Jack's ears.

"Rose, I'm going to get the Doctor to use his sonic screwdriver on this door."

Rose hauled herself to her feet and punched the button to open the door.

"Stop being such a worry-wort."

Jack came into the infirmary. He walked past Rose to the medical equipment.

Rose hurried after him. She tried to block his view of the readouts. "I'm completely normal."

Jack pushed her aside. He studied the readouts.

"Rose, if I'm not mistaken…" He took her hand. "You're perfectly normal. For a pregnant woman."

Rose looked at the ground. "I…"

"Rose!" exclaimed Jack. "This is brilliant."

Jack threw his arms around Rose, lifted her into the air and spun her around. "Aren't you even a little excited?" He set her down when he saw her sour expression.

Rose dropped onto the bed. "Mum is going to kill us," she mumbled.

Jack crouched down in front of her. "Honey, I think she's going to be excited about having a grandchild."

Rose glanced at Jack and then drew her knees up to her chin and buried her face in them.

Jack stood up. "It's okay, Rose."

"Maybe I didn't do it right!" she said suddenly. "I don't really understand how it all works or maybe it's broken?"

"What's broken?" came the Doctor's voice from the doorway.

Rose looked up. She jumped to her feet, ran around the bed and to the machine. She almost slipped over but she caught herself by slamming her fist purposely on the machine—on the reset button. The readout screen blanked but she punched the button three more times to be sure.

"Are you okay, Rose Ty… H… Rose?"

"Fine," said Rose, punching the reset button again.

Jack and the Doctor joined Rose by the machine.

"Do you want me to…?" He pulled out his sonic screwdriver.

Rose slammed the button one more time and turned to the Doctor. "It's fine. Oh!" She ran from the room.

The Doctor slowly turned to Jack. "What did you do to her?"

"I di…" He couldn't really say he didn't do anything. He smiled at the Doctor. "Just give us a moment."

He set off after Rose.

* * *

"I'm having a shower," Rose fairly snapped as Jack walked into the room. 

"Okay, honey." Jack threw himself on the bed.

Rose slipped into the bathroom and shut the door firmly.

Jack called through the door, "Rose, it's okay that you're…"

"Don't say it so loudly!" shouted Rose.

"Okay, but you're going to be alright, babe."

A minute later Rose returned to the bedroom wrapped tightly in her bathrobe. She shooed at Jack with her hands. He complied and rolled over so his back faced her. Usually she didn't mind him watching her dress but she was feeling very sensitive right now.

She pulled on some jeans and inspected her body critically. It looked exactly as it had the day before and two weeks before that. But who knew how long she'd been pregnant for.

"Did you happen to see how far along I am?" she asked in a small voice.

"Didn't pay that much attention." Jack rolled over as Rose pulled on a long-sleeved tee-shirt. "I was too excited and you should have been too!"

"Jack, Mum's going to loose it and the Doctor is probably going to leave."

Rose pulled a short-sleeved tee-shirt and a jacket on as well.

"Cold are we?" Jack slipped his arm around her waist and touched her stomach lightly.

Rose nodded quickly and folded her arms over her stomach.

"C'mon, Rose, it's nothing to be ashamed of." Jack retreated a little.

Rose exploded at Jack. "Ashamed! I'm surprised you even know the meaning of the word shame. You certainly didn't have any shame with those hundreds of other people. Half of them probably weren't even human let alone the opposite…"

"Rose!" Jack cut her off.

They stared at each other from opposite ends of the room. "You're just as bad as your mom," Jack said quietly. He turned at left the room

Rose dropped against the window and stared at the door. Tears crept from her eyes. She sobbed and threw herself on the bed.

* * *

Rose hurried into the kitchen. 

"Hello," began Jackie.

"Where's Jack?" asked Rose, breathlessly and quickly.

"I don't keep tabs on 'im." Jackie turned back to the soup boiling on the cook top.

Rose hurried into the living room and burst into the TARDIS. Jack and the Doctor looked up from the consol.

The Doctor saw the look on Rose's face and immediately pointed toward the inner door of the TARDIS. "Shall I go?"

Rose shook her head and then turned on Jack.

"So you're leaving now? You and your little alien buddy. Going to desert me, are you? I say one thing to offend you and then you leave me. What I said was true, Harkness, so don't go acting so offended. I say one thing about something we should have addressed before the wedding and then you leave me.

"Well, I've got the baby, Jack, if that means anything to you. Though I doubt it does. I thought you were changing, Jack. I really did. When you ask me to marry you. But I should have seen it in the proposal. I _have _to marry you."

Rose thumped the consol. Tears streamed down her hot face. The Doctor shifted uncomfortably.

"So is that what you wanted?" snapped Jack, glaring at her. "The baby? Is that all you wanted from me? You wanted a baby. You're mom would kill you if you had one outside of wedlock so you married me. Now you have the baby you no longer care?"

"I care, Jack," shouted Rose. "That's why I'm so scared!"

"What do you care about? Your mom snapping at you? The Doctor leaving you? I thought you were married to me!"

Jack's hand hovered at his side. His fingers slipped around something he kept there. Rose immediately recognized his trusty gun. It was to Jack as the sonic screwdriver was to the Doctor.

"Oh, so you're going to kill yourself again. Great!"

Jack folded his arms. "Don't be silly, Rose."

Rose and Jack stared at each other from across the consol room. The Doctor shifted again and coughed.

"Uh, Jack," he said. "Thanks for the help. I should be able to get the repairs done in a few months. Mmm. Yeah."

The couple glanced at the Doctor before returning to their staring match.

Suddenly Rose turned to leave. Before she did, she slowly faced the Doctor. "Oh, Doctor!" she said. "_I _am going to have a baby."

Silence fell in the TARDIS.

"Congratulations!" The Doctor threw his arms in the air.

"See, I told you it was exciting," said Jack.

"Oh, shut up," snapped Rose and left the TARDIS.

* * *

Jack slouched on the sofa. The tellie blared out loud ads during the break of the program. Much to Jackie's dismay he would not turn the box down. He fiddled dismally with his gun, continually clicking the settings. 

Rose had been watching him from the doorway of the kitchen for nearly an hour now. She fingered her wedding ring, her eyes slowly gravitating toward it. She grit her teeth and finally approached Jack.

"Uh, Jack," she began. "I am excited about the baby." Her voice was so quiet Jack could only just hear.

"I'm not leaving, Rose. I never will." He looked at her. "Sorry."

Rose took a step toward Jack. "Me too."

"Babe," muttered Jack and wrapped her in his arms.

Rose buried her face in his shoulder. A moment later he pulled her down onto the sofa with him. He slipped his arm around her waist and tickled her tummy under her shirt. She whacked his hand away.

"Oi, keep that for the bedroom," she muttered.

Jackie passed the doorway and her ears caught Rose saying 'oi'. She stopped and looked into the room.

Rose snuggled closer to Jack. Light from the tellie washed over the couple who were otherwise shrouded in darkness.

Jackie sobbed and started toward them. A leather-clad arm stopped her. She pushed against it but the Doctor pulled her away. She buried her face on his shoulder. He shifted his feet uncomfortably.

"What 'ave I done?" she sobbed. "I never meant to make her hate me. I just wanted to help her."

The Doctor glanced back at Rose, unsurely. The couple were engrossed in each other.

The Doctor opened his mouth to say words that he hadn't yet planned. Jackie suddenly ran from his arms, tears pouring down her face. He turned to look into the tellie room. He folded his arms a felt wetness on his jacket and neck. It must have been Jackie's tears, he told himself firmly. Of course that's what it was…

* * *

Rose giggled and stood up before Jack could get any more carried away. She caught sight of the Doctor standing in the doorway. 

"Hi, Doctor," she said shyly, unable to see his expression through the darkness that filled the house.

The Doctor merely grunted in reply.

She tried not to laugh as Jack poked her cheekily. "Do you know where Mum is?" Sadness enveloped her voice as she spoke.

"In your… her… the room."

"Thanks, Doctor."

Rose left Jack on the couch and headed for her old room. She brushed against the Doctor as she passed. Her stomach quivered as she felt the tears. She paused in the kitchen to recompose herself before continuing.

"Mum?" Rose knocked softly on the door.

There was no reply but Rose opened the door. Jackie lay on the bed, her head resting on the tear-soaked pillow. She was still and quiet.

Rose approached the bed tentatively. "Are you okay, Mum?"

Jackie moved her head a little so she could see Rose. She slowly sat up and nodded.

Rose sat on the end of the bed, holding her hands in her lap. She needed to be able to escape quickly if her mum reacted badly.

"Did I do something wrong?" asked Rose.

Jackie quickly shook her head. "It was me. I've just had a one track mind and I thought I was looking after you but when I see you with Jack I see that I'm just a nuisance."

"Mum, that's not true!" said Rose.

"It's alright, Rose. You're grown up, you're starting a family of your own"—Rose's stomach flipped—"This is where parents become a nuisance. You don't have to make me feel good."

Rose struggled a nonchalant laugh. "Mum, you're not a nuisance."

Jackie shook her head but said no more on the subject.

Rose fiddled with the zip on her jacket. She focused on her tummy. "Uh, Mum," she began weakly.

"Yes?" said Jackie, eagerly.

"I think I have something to tell you." Rose couldn't look at Jackie.

"Mm?"

"I… We… Me and Jack, we're gonna… gonna have a baby."

Rose hazarded a glance at her Mum. Jackie just stared at her. Slowly the tears came. One by one they marched down her face as the two women were locked in a stare.

Suddenly Rose threw herself forward and grabbed her mum tightly in her arms. Jackie stayed as still as stone, crying silently. Rose held onto her tight.

* * *

Notes: Sorry it's so short. It just seemed appropriate to cut it there. And in case you didn't work it out, the News was the baby 


	5. Good Bye

_Title: Rose and Jack_

_Summary: Rose plus Jack plus pressure from an overprotective mother equals something you wouldn't expect from Jack. Mostly straight romance-ish stuff but there is a little action._

_Claimer: Actually, this time it is a disclaimer. The joke about the sky was by my brother._

**_

* * *

Chapter Five: Good-Bye_**

"_Are you coming, then?" said the Doctor. "Leaving your wife?"_

"_No!" The Doctor almost jumped at Jack's stern reply. "And neither are you."_

"_I beg your pardon, but I don't _have_ a wife."_

"_You're not leaving _my_ wife," said Jack._

* * *

Jackie smiled as she felt the kick of the child under Rose's skin. There was only month and a bit until the child was due. Rose and her mum were starting to get very excited.

There was a string of loudly-spoken, outlandish words from the kitchen.

"What is he doing?" cried Jackie jumping to her feet. "I 'ope he's not taking apart the oven again. I don't know why I let him stay here."

"Mum," scolded Rose lightly. "I'll go check on him."

She pulled herself to her feet and joined the Doctor in the kitchen. He had his head stuck in the back of the fridge.

"What's up?" she asked.

"The sky," muttered the Doctor sourly.

The Doctor rubbed his head. In his grease-smeared left hand he gripped some part of the fridge's innards.

"Doctor…"

"I'm improvising." He held up the fridge part by way of indication. He trailed off into some long-winded spiel of technical jargon.

Rose stopped him part-way through. "If you insist but Mum's gonna have a fit when she sees the state of the fridge."

"It's hardly my fault they don't supply…"

Rose cut him off, not wanting to hear another word about dimensional stabilizers and time rotors. The Doctor had been on about it endlessly since the wedding. Though Rose was beginning to suspect a ruse from the way Jack and the Doctor smiled at each other like they had an inside joke.

"How are we supposed to use the fridge then, huh?" she asked.

The Doctor almost laughed. "You really think I'll be able to repair the TARDIS with a piece of an old fridge? I'll put this back when I'm done with it, Rose, promise."

The Doctor dove into the mess of wires and mechanics at the back of the fridge. Rose shook her head and stepped around the fridge to the front of it.

"You guys want Chinese?" she called toward the living room.

"Yeah," replied Jackie. "Call the new place, if you're ordering."

"Okay!" Rose studied the front of the fridge, looking for the number. "Where's the number, Mum?"

"In the notepad thing… you know?"

"Okay, I got it!" called Rose.

She began flicking through a notepad with a magnet that had been fixed to the fridge. It was full of random notes and phone numbers Jackie had had no where else to jot down.

"Here we go," she said to herself, holding the page open with her left hand and turning for the phone.

She almost whacked the Doctor who was leaning on the fridge, watching her—her hands namely.

"Uh, sorry," she muttered, grabbing the phone and self-consciously putting her left hand in her pocket. "Drat." The notepad fell on the floor.

The Doctor quickly stooped and picked it up. He flicked through the notepad extremely quickly and handed it to her, on the right page.

"Thanks," she said quietly.

She dialled the number. She could feel the Doctor's eyes boring into her. Her wedding band grew heavy. She pushed the phone to her ear.

She groaned. "On hold? At a Chinese take-away joint?"

"What is the world coming to," muttered the Doctor.

He almost went back to his fridge deconstruction but Rose's voice halted him.

"Why do you keep staring at my hands?" She wouldn't have been able to ask it if her back hadn't been facing him.

"What do you mean?" said the Doctor, quickly.

"You keep looking at my hands," said Rose. "I just wanted to know why. You seem a bit…" Rose trailed off. "Hello? Yeah, I'd like to order."

"I seem what?" demanded the Doctor.

Rose put up her hand to silence him and indicated to the phone.

* * *

Rose opened her eyes to find she'd fallen asleep sitting on sofa with a bowl of half-eaten Chinese take-away in her hand. She was shrouded in darkness and all alone, as far as she could tell. She began to sit up straight.

Her stomach lurched and she put the eaten half of her Chinese back in the bowl.

"I knew Chinese was a bad idea," she muttered.

"Rose? You okay?" Jackie walked into the room.

Rose wiped her lips. "Yeah, I think so."

Jackie took the Chinese from her and went to dispose of it. Rose settled back on the couch. Jackie returned.

"How are you going?" Jackie slipped her arm around Rose as she sat down.

Rose knew Jackie was looking for a mother-daughter heart-to-heart. But Rose didn't know what to say.

"Okay, I guess." It was all she could think of.

The pair were silent.

Suddenly Jackie spoke up. "I didn't expect it."

"What?" Rose was caught off guard.

"You and Jack."

"It's a little late to be saying you're not happy with it, Mum." Rose became defensive.

"That's not what I meant, honey!" Jackie glanced at the doorway before continuing. "I just thought you might feel something for someone else, you see. Now that I see you and Jack together, I know I was wrong but I just didn't guess."

"Mickey? No, I forgot about him the day I left with the Doctor."

"Exactly," said Jackie quietly. "The Doctor."

"The Doctor," repeated Rose. "No, not him. I couldn't love him. He just won't be loved. It's not like you would have preferred him." Rose smiled.

Jackie managed a laugh. Rose hadn't seen sides of the Doctor Jackie had. Even in the small amount of time he'd been still enough to be looked at, Jackie had seen something in the Doctor no one else had—at least not any human.

* * *

Jack peered through the minuted crack between the door and its jamb. He surveyed the pink décor of the room on the other side. There was nothing but fat cushions and fluffy animals to be seen.

He carefully pushed the door open. His suspicions were confirmed—the room was empty. Jack scanned the room again. _Where would a woman like Jackie hide a gun like mine?_

Jack rubbed his hands together and approached the dresser. He tugged on the top draw. It opened easily. To his slight relief it was filled with miscellaneous items such as tissues, make up, old picture frames and the like. Nothing he would be embarrassed to be found sifting through.

He shuffled through the junk wondering how much of it belonged to Rose and how much of it belonged to Jackie. Finally he happened upon something interesting. It was an old, out-of-date jewellery box with a significantly retro picture on the front. He shook it. There was something chunky inside that only just had room to move.

He rattled the lock. He rummaged for a key but only for a second. He gripped the lid in one hand and the rest of the box in the other. He yanked.

The contents dropped, bounced off the dresser and landed on the floor with enough noise to make Jack jump. He checked his back and knelt down. There were a few pieces of tarnished old jewellery. He peered under the dresser. There it was—his gun.

_Finally._ He reached under the dresser.

"Jack? What…?"

Jack jumped. He quickly seized the gun and trained it on the form in the doorway. To his relief it was the Doctor.

The Doctor raised his hands. "Don't shoot. I didn't do anything."

"Sorry, Doctor," said Jack. "Just a little jumpy. I don't exactly want to be caught in Jackie's room going through her things."

"I wouldn't want to be caught in her room, full stop."

"True."

Jack bent over again and began picking up the rest of the things he'd dropped. He dumped them back into the jewellery box. As the pieces hit the bottom, he noticed a hollow sound.

"So, uh, Doctor, what brings you in here?" Jack carefully pried at the bottom of the jewellery box, knowing he shouldn't and hoping the Doctor didn't notice.

"I heard a sound and came to investigate."

Jack laughed. "Hoping it was aliens, were we?"

"Never have that much luck," returned the Doctor. "Though a couple of Slitheens might do good to distract."

The bottom of the jewellery box popped open. Jack dumped the jewellery back on the dresser and tried to open it more.

"Distract who?"

"What on earth are you doing?"

Jack glanced back at the Doctor. "It seems to me that Jackie has as many secrets as the rest of us."

The Doctor approached the dresser quizzically. Jack moved aside so he could see what was in the bottom of the box.

* * *

Jack closed the bottom of the box, which was now empty. He finished cleaning up the mess he made and attempted to fix the lock. He put the box away and walked out to join the Doctor.

The Doctor had gone to face Jackie but Jack found him watching Jackie and Rose chatting.

Jack tapped his shoulder.

"Doc?"

"Doctor," returned the Doctor sharply. He hurried into the room.

"Hello, boys," said Jackie, forcing a smile.

Rose looked down.

The Doctor pushed straight past and went into the TARDIS. Jack quickly followed, shooting the women a confused expression.

* * *

The Doctor thumped the consol as Jack walked in.

"Is there a problem, Doc?"

"No, no." The Doctor vainly tried to pass off his mood. "I've just decided it's time for me to move on. I've been here too long; it's driving me insane."

"But what about," Jack glanced at the TARDIS doors, "Jackie?"

The Doctor snorted. "What do I care? Deal with it yourself!" The Doctor thumped the consol again. "If you're not planning to come with me, I suggest you leave the TARDIS, _now_."

Jack leant on the consol and stared the Doctor in the eye. "The least you could do is say good-bye to Rose. She'll miss you."

The Doctor raised his eyebrow. "Oh, really?"

"Yes, really!"

"I don't know what she's told you…" The Doctor continued preparing the TARDIS for dematerialization, or at least attempting to look like that was what he was doing.

"Okay, Doctor, what did you overhear?"

The Doctor stopped dead still and stared back at Jack. "Nothing. What could ever make you say that?"

"Obviously, Rose said something to Jackie, you overheard it and it offended you. Just because you're alien, doesn't mean I can't see through you."

The Doctor jumped back into action. "Preposterous."

"I don't think so."

The Doctor pushed Jack away from the consol. Jack watched him jumping around, pressing buttons that even Jack knew didn't need to be pressed.

"Are you coming, then?" said the Doctor. "Leaving your wife?"

"No!" The Doctor almost jumped at Jack's stern reply. "And neither are you."

"I beg your pardon, but I don't _have _a wife."

"You're not leaving _my_ wife," said Jack.

The Doctor stared blankly at Jack.

"Okay, let's try a different tactic," muttered Jack. "Doctor, I want you to stay. Don't you think _I_ might go insane being left here?"

"You have Rose and your baby to look after you." The Doctor's words were slow and despondent and his manner became depressive. "I have nothing here."

"Only because you think you don't," said Jack. "And if you leave, you'll have even less. Rose is here—and I don't mind what you say, you care about her. The TARDIS will be here if you stay. _I'm _here. And anyway, what about the repairs to the TARDIS? Or this?"

Jack dropped the small electronic device they'd discovered in Jackie's room on the consol. "It's definitely alien. You've found your aliens, Doc."

* * *

Jack closed the door of the TARDIS behind him.

"Is the Doctor alright?" asked Rose quietly.

"I've given him something to think about." That was all Jack had to say on the matter.

"Shall I…?" Rose stood up.

"No. I think we'd better just leave him for the moment." Jack slipped his arm around Rose.

Jackie forced a smile and said, "I think I'll be going to bed."

Rose stifled a yawn. "Me too, it seems."

Jackie smiled and kissed Rose's cheek. She left the room.

"Will you be joining me?" said Rose, starting toward the doorway.

"Definitely," said Jack with a cheeky grin.

Rose left Jack who switched off the tellie and set the room back to some semblance of spotlessness before following Rose.

As he passed Jackie's door he heard the unmistakable sound of tears. Curiosity, especially since his and the Doctor's discovery, got the better of him and he peered in through the door.

Jackie sat on the bed with her legs crossed. A photo album lay across them and tears dripped onto the protective cover. Jackie ran her hand through her hair.

She gently touched a photo and a faint smile was accompanied with fresh tears.

Jack pushed open the door silently. He watched Jackie slowly turn the pages and tearfully study more pictures. Finally she collapsed forward on the album. Her body shook with sobbing.

Jack moved his foot tentatively. He paused. He quickly strode across the room to the bed before he could change his mind.

He sat down next to Jackie as gently as he could. Jackie sat up with a start.

"Oh, hello," she muttered.

Jack apprehensively patted Jackie's hand. He wasn't usually shy but when it came to Jackie Tyler it was a different matter altogether.

Jackie brushed her hand across a photo of herself pregnant with Rose. She bit her lip before speaking.

"You're having a baby with my daughter."

"Yeah."

Jackie stared at Jack. "You love her, right?"

"Jackie, no body loves Rose more that I do." He met her gaze with out hesitation. As an afterthought he added quietly, "Except maybe you."

Jackie smiled faintly. "You can say that, Jack. You can shout it from the rooftops for all anyone cares but can you prove it? Can you prove to me that you'll never leave my daughter, or mess around with… others or anything. She's my only daughter, Jack, and I won't have you hurting her. I've already done enough of that to last her a lifetime."

"I'm sorry but I can only promise."

Jackie studied him intently. "Who _are _you, Jack? Where are you from?"

"I'm from 50th century earth. I was a Time Agent from America then I quit because they stole my memories and started conning them. But I assure you that I'd never con Rose or you."

"Conman? Is this a con? And how do I know you're telling the truth, anyway? How can I be sure you're not an axe murderer or something?"

Silence covered the room.

"You can't. No one can. Not even me. I don't remember."

"Jack?"

"Just trust me. If Rose can marry me, I'm sure you can trust me."

Jackie sniffed. She stared into Jack's eyes for a minute. "Sorry."

He pulled Jackie into a hug. "It's okay… Mom."

* * *

There was a soft tap on the door as Rose sat down on the bed.

"Jack?"

"It's the Doctor."

Rose pulled on her dressing gown and shuffled along, feeling for the door in the dark. She opened it.

A gentle light filtered through the doorway. The Doctor's form cast a long shadow over Rose and the floor. Rose tried to read his expression but his face was too shadowed.

"I need to talk to you," said the Doctor.

"Okay." Rose stepped back to let the Doctor through but he stayed in the doorway. "What's up then?"

The Doctor folded his arms. "I'm leaving."

"What? But you were going to tell me…" Suddenly it hit Rose. "You mean completely?"

The Doctor nodded.

Rose swallowed. "For good?"

The Doctor shrugged. "I come here a lot anyway. I doubt that will stop happening. You lot, always needing saving…"

"Don't go," Rose interrupted him.

"Rose, why should I stay?"

"Coz I asked…" Rose looked at the floor.

The Doctor put his hands on Rose's shoulders. He took a deep breath. "There are millions of planets, trillions of species, millions of trillions of lives, Rose. But I'm the last time lord. I'm last one who can help give some kind of order to those lives, whether they know it or not. I can't stay here forever. I have to move on. There's a universe that needs me."

"Right." Rose folded her arms. "I shoulda figured that." She angled away from the Doctor. "The universe always comes first."

"Rose," began the Doctor, touching her shoulder.

Rose shook her head and stepped away from him. She sniffed and looked back at the Doctor. "That's the way it should be. I can't be selfish." She squeezed her eyes shut, turning her head.

"Rose, I…"

"Good bye, Doctor. Have a nice life." Rose squeezed her arms tighter. "I won't forget you."

The Doctor turned to leave. Rose peered over her shoulder and watched his familiar back disappear from sight. "Oh my," she sobbed.

* * *

The Doctor walked back to the TARDIS, despondently. He thumped open the doors and stared across the console room blankly for a moment.

"Right!" He plastered on a grin. "Let's go."

Acting his lively self, he moved over to the console. He looked up at the time rotor eagerly. "Where shall we go?"

You could hear a pin drop. The Doctor's shoulders dropped. He yanked on the controls. "Anywhere but here."

The TARDIS spluttered to life. It appeared the little upgrades and repairs the Doctor had done were helping. He smiled faintly.

"Here we go!" His eyes darted around the empty console room. No eager brown eyes stared back at him, watching his every move with amazement. There was no excited interrogation about where they were going, who lived there or what this button did. There was no one.

The TARDIS coughed and the engines whirred to a halt. "No you don't! C'mon!"

He jumped about the console, reaching for controls. The TARDIS gave a half-hearted gasp. "Can you hold…?" There were no helping hands wondering just what they were actually doing.

The Doctor slumped against the console. His chin fell to his chest and he heaved a sigh. He slowly closed his eyes as the engines definitively conked out.

* * *

Note: I'm especially pleased with how the characterization turned out when the Doctor says good-bye to Rose. Love to hear your comments as always! 


	6. Babies and Secrets

_Title: Rose and Jack_

_Summary: Rose plus Jack plus pressure from an overprotective mother equals something you wouldn't expect from Jack. Mostly straight romance-ish stuff but there is a little action._

_Disclaimer: BBC owns Doctor Who and all related characters and references._

**_

* * *

Chapter Six: Babies and Secrets_**

_Suddenly she became serious. "You don't think? But it's impossible! Wasn't his memory blanked?"_

"_And then he made a new life, moved to England, met your mum and the rest, as they say, is history."_

* * *

The Doctor stumbled into the console room, rubbing the back of his head and muttering. He dropped his sonic screwdriver on the console. He stepped back and studied the wiring the burst from one of the panels from a distance.

A heavy knock sounded on the doors. The Doctor studied the wires sullenly, not replying. A faint voice shouted at him and then heavy footsteps hurried away.

The Doctor sighed and approached the console. He tugged on a purple wire. It came free. He jumped back as a shower of sparks burst from the electrics.

Another, light knock echoed in the console room. A higher pitched voice screamed at him before it too hurried away.

The Doctor somewhat instinctively looked down at his watchless wrist then shook his head. He knelt down by the console and rummaged through thick wiring.

A large silicon chip fell from the panel and clonked him on the head. He grunted.

"Not again," he grumbled. "My head is going to look like mashed potatoes soon.

He groped for his trusty screwdriver and attacked the wires with vigour. A moment later he stood back. He'd changed over almost every wire.

"Let's see… Drat, I'm talking to myself again."

The Doctor slipped his sonic screwdriver into his jacket and flicked a switch on the console. He was soon jumping all around it, attempting to dematerialize.

"Come on, come on. Come. On." He pleaded with the machine.

With one last grind, the TARDIS stilled again. The Doctor thumped the console.

"I've been stuck in here for a month now doing nothing but working on you and you still won't dematerialize!" he shouted at the console. "The least you could do is let me open the doors."

Just on cue, one door of the TARDIS released with a click and slowly swung open.

"Thank you!" said the Doctor unappreciatively, dealing the TARDIS another thump before picking up his sonic screwdriver and cautiously exiting.

It took him only a few seconds to realize he and the TARDIS were all alone in the dark house. It may have been because the main room of the house was empty, or the Doctor might have sensed it but whatever it was, the note stuck to the TARDIS door certainly helped.

He flicked on a light switch and read the message out loud to himself. "'To the Doctor, we've gone to the hospital because Rose is having her baby. If you feel like showing some courtesy and making up for how you've treated us, have some hot chocolate ready for when we get home. Jackie.' Huh, courtesy, making up for how I've treated them. Harrumph."

The Doctor leant against the TARDIS. Again the lonely feeling that had been haunting him since the day he'd tried to leave washed over him. He almost—only almost—felt like he could cry.

He'd always felt lonely, even after he met Rose. Running around the universe, getting in life threatening situations and holding hands, he'd thought maybe he would stop feeling lonely but he still did, or thought he did. But now he could see that wasn't true. He hadn't really been lonely. He'd just not wanted to admit that he'd come close to feeling complete, like that would be betraying his family and friends who'd perished with his planet. But now he wished he had. He liked feeling complete and he missed it. Missed the thing he didn't have until it was gone.

The Doctor jumped at the sound of the door opening. He folded his arms defensively and crumpled the note, hardening his expression.

Jack stumbled into the room and threw himself onto the sofa before he realized the lights were on and the Doctor was standing outside the TARDIS staring at him. He winced and forced a smile for the Doctor.

"Good to see you, Doc."

The Doctor just stared at him.

"I'm glad you didn't end up leaving after a month of trying." Jack began to laugh.

"Where's Rose?"

"Didn't you get Jackie's note? We tried to tell you. Both Jackie and I knocked on the door but you didn't respond… ah!"

Jack doubled over, clutching his side.

"You left her at the hospital?"

"I saw the baby, if that's what you're wondering." Jack looked up at the Doctor with a grimace on his face. "Rose and the baby won't be home for three or so days yet, Doc."

"It has a name?"

"The baby? Yeah. Jacquie."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "You named it after Rose's mum?"

"Sort of. Rose said she named it after me but it's a girl you see." Jack winced again.

Finally the Doctor showed some concern. "What is your problem?"

"N—" Jack realized how stupid denying it would look now. He moved his hands away from his side and stiffly leant back in the seat. A patch of blood was beginning to seep through his shirt.

"Infirmary, now," ordered the Doctor.

* * *

The Doctor stared at the readings for a moment. "It's infected," he muttered.

"I can tell," moaned Jack.

The Doctor turned to the American who lay on the crisp infirmary sheets. "It's old. Around a year or so. As far as I can figure, a year ago we were on Liehpara. You almost died there and seeing this I'm even more surprised you survived."

"When you have a good woman…" began Jack.

"You've had a massive infection raging through your body for a year and you never told anyone. Rose never noticed or you never let her notice. You should by all means be dead. I'm amazed and disgusted, Harkness," the Doctor snapped.

Jack was taken aback.

"You could have infected Rose. And what about the baby? Did you even think? This tough guy façade could kill your baby!"

"It's not like that," Jack tried again.

"Jack, it is. The long and short of this is that three people could end up dead because you were too proud to tell someone you didn't survive the shot. Too proud to let anyone know that you were dying. Too scared of loosing the woman who more than anything deserves the truth Jack and if you're not going to give it to her you may as well be dead."

The Doctor turned and made for the door.

"Don't tell her." Jack sat up and cringed.

The Doctor turned on Jack, eyes burning. "Jack. Am I going to look her in the eye and not tell her she could be dying? Her child could be dying? I'm not doing this for you, Jack."

"No, Doctor, I'll tell her."

The Doctor glared at him. "You have two days, Jack."

"After she gets home?"

The Doctor gave a nod and then left. Jack flopped back on the bed.

* * *

A telephone rang. The Doctor glanced back at the open door of the TARDIS, muttered with a shake of his head but returned to fiddling with the console. It kept ringing. The Doctor grunted and pulled himself too his feet.

He stomped into the kitchen and picked up the phone. "Hello."

"Hi, it's Henry. Can I speak to Jackie?"

"She's not home."

"Oh."

"She's at the hospital."

"Something wrong?"

The Doctor just stopped himself making a snide comment. "Her daughter's having a baby."

"Rose? Oh, that's brilliant. Okay, any idea when she'll be home?"

"Humph. No."

"Alright, can you tell her that I just got home from America and that I called. If she can call me as soon as possible because we need to organize a time to catch up…"

"Who are you?" The Doctor frowned. The voice was beginning to sound strangely familiar.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Henry… Henry who?"

"Stettenberg."

"How do you know the Tylers?"

"What's this?" the caller laughed. "The Spanish inquisition? I'm Jackie's boyfriend."

"Ah," said the Doctor knowingly.

"And who might you be? Rose's man?"

The Doctor's face became like stone. "I'll pass on your message." He hung up.

* * *

The Doctor leant against the TARDIS console. In his hands he held the little electronic device that Jack had discovered in Jackie's jewellery box. He turned it over in his fingers. He crinkled his forehead in concentration.

It was some device because even the sonic screwdriver couldn't tell him anything. It was a smooth silvery oval about the size of his palm. It had a few notches across its slick body. A few lumps of slightly transparent blue-silver material jutted out of the sides.

The Doctor rubbed his fingers over these lumps in succession. He cocked his head when he heard a faint bleep. He held the device to his ear. He rubbed the lumps again. The device bleeped again.

The Doctor studied it again. The blue of the lumps now had patches of a slightly darker hue. He squinted and inspected even more closely. The patches began to resemble numbers. Then he realized the numbers were counting down.

"Uh oh," he muttered.

He rubbed it again. When he rubbed left to right the numbers went up and when he rubbed right to left, they went down. When he let it be, they slowly ticked down, second by second. He turned it around and studied the lumps on the other side. They too had faint numbers behind their transparency but these numbers were still and the Doctor couldn't change them by rubbing them.

The Doctor turned it a few more times before setting it down on the TARDIS and getting back to more important matters.

* * *

"Hello."

The Doctor jumped as the sound of Jackie's voice hit him. He turned toward her.

"So we've emerged from our cocoon, have we, Doctor? Rose was asking after you. She wanted you to see the baby."

The Doctor merely grunted and turned back to his machine.

"She's been very upset, mister. You really messed her up by saying you were going to off and leave and then just sitting around in that stupid box of yours ignoring everyone."

The Doctor didn't even attempt to explain himself to Jackie. He was about to out-and-out ignore her before he remembered the phone call. "A Henry Stettenberg called after you. Said he'd just got back from America and to call him ASAP."

Jackie's face lit up and she left the TARDIS in a hurry. The Doctor grinned sourly to himself and slammed the door shut.

* * *

Doctor jumped to his feet and jerked the apartment door open. His manner slumped as he saw and clean shaven man with receding black hair and a big grin standing outside.

"Who are you and what do you want?" he snapped.

"Henry Stettenberg," the stranger toned with a mildly American accent. He stuck out his hand. "You must be the one I spoke to on the phone."

The Doctor stepped back to let him in, ignoring the hand. As Henry stepped into the apartment, the Doctor slammed the door.

"Is Jackie in?"

"She's at the hospital."

"Again?" Henry raised an eyebrow.

"She's picking up Rose."

Henry smiled knowingly. "So that's why you were so eager to get to the door."

The Doctor whipped around. "No! I am _not _Rose's husband."

Henry stepped back and held up his hands innocently. "Sorry, mister."

"My name is the Doctor and I am a friend of Rose's. My vehicle broke down and I'm staying here till I can repair it."

"Doctor?" muttered Henry, with a pensive frown. "That name…"

"It's the only name you're going to get," snapped the Doctor.

"Okay! Okay. Can I help you with your car while we're waiting? Mechanics is a hobby of mine."

The Doctor snorted and threw himself onto the sofa. "You wouldn't understand it."

Henry shrugged and walked off to make himself at home in the kitchen. A moment later he returned with two coffees. He set one down in front of the Doctor and then made himself comfortable in the armchair.

The Doctor eyed the coffee before focusing in the direction of the door again.

"So have you known Rose long?"

The Doctor grunted.

Henry sipped his coffee but spilt a little on the floor as he replaced it on the table. "Dalek," he spat under his breath.

"Pardon?" The Doctor sat up, alert.

Henry laughed. "Nothing. Just a silly little euphemism I made up."

"What did you say?" pushed the Doctor.

Before Henry could reply, the door burst open and excited voices flooded in.

"I'm alright, Mum, honestly!"

"Jack, do you have the baby?"

"Your grandma's having a worry fit, ain't she, Jaqs."

"Doctor?" Rose's head popped into the room. "Doctor!" Rose rushed forward as the Doctor slowly stood. She flung her arms around him.

Jack appeared in the room followed by Jackie who immediately went to greet Henry. In Jack's arms was a small white bundle.

Rose dragged the Doctor over to Jack by his arm. Jack gently passed the bundle to Rose.

"Doctor, meet Jacquie."

The Doctor looked at the little pink thing wrapped in white. He immediately saw Jack's jaw, eyes and mouth but couldn't mistake Rose's nose. A faint expression something similar to a smile tried to creep onto his face.

"What to hold her?" Rose smiled tenderly.

The Doctor must have nodded because Rose carefully put Jacquie into his arms. He stood stone still staring at the tiny person. He couldn't hide the mists that began to gather in his eyes.

Jacquie looked up at the Doctor and pushed a tiny hand out of her blankets. The Doctor gently touched it. Jacquie's small fingers grabbed hold of his and drew his hand to her mouth.

Rose's smile grew as she watched the pair.

"Hey, Rose," said Jackie. "This is Henry, who I was telling you about."

"Hi." Rose shook his hand. "I'm Rose and this is Jack."

Jack exchanged a handshake with Henry.

The Doctor looked up. "Rose…?"

Rose grinned and took back the baby.

"Do you want to lie down, Rose?" asked Jackie suddenly.

"Oh, Mum." Rose turned to the Doctor and said in a mock whisper, "She won't let up."

Rose made her way to the sofa while Jackie and Henry disappeared into the kitchen. The Doctor retreated to the TARDIS whom he leant against, watching Rose intently.

Henry and Jackie returned with more coffees and set themselves down on the sofa.

"So, tell us about America," said Jackie, smiling at Henry admiringly.

Henry set off into a long winded tale of his trip to America. A moment later, the Doctor suddenly interrupted.

"Do I know you?"

Jackie shot the Doctor a frown.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Do I know you? Have I met you before?"

"Not that I recall, though I have vague memories of meeting someone who called themselves 'The Doctor' before. But that might have been a dream."

Jackie laughed. Rose smiled politely but Jack and the Doctor shared a confused expression.

Henry noted this. "I have these strange dreams every so often. Sometimes I can't remember what was a dream and what was reality."

Jackie laughed again.

The Doctor stepped forward eagerly. "What kinds of dreams?"

"Doctor," began Jackie.

"Well, there is this one where I was the boss of a big organization," said Henry, kicking back. "And I had a prisoner. But the funny thing: it was an alien!" He laughed but the Doctor frowned.

"What kind of alien?" he asked.

"Big metal thing," he said. "I was trying to get it to talk." He put on a voice and said, "I only wanted you to talk!" Jackie laughed once more.

The Doctor's eyes ran from Henry to Rose. Rose noticed his 'are-you-thinking-what-I'm-thinking' look and shrugged. The Doctor's frown deepened.

"What year is it?" he asked suddenly.

Henry laughed. "2013, of course. Why do you ask?"

"Never mind." The Doctor turned sharply and went into the TARDIS.

It was Henry who frowned this time. "There was a box like that in one of my dreams." His face brightened. "What's he doion in there anyway?"

* * *

Rose knocked on the door of the TARDIS.

"Come in!" the Doctor called.

She pushed opened the door and walked in. The Doctor was tinkering at the console with deep concentration plastered across his face.

"You okay?" she asked, rocking Jacquie in her arms.

The Doctor gave a half-hearted grunt. He paused and then sat up. "Is 'oh-wonderful-boyfriend' gone yet?"

"Yeah. He took Mum out. Does he bother you?"

The Doctor jumped to his feet. "Oh, yes." He paused again before turning to Rose. "Have you met him before?"

"No. Mum met him while I was away and then he was in America. He told me he was sorry he missed the wedding."

The Doctor shook his head. "I think you have met him, Rose. So have I. When we were travelling."

"But I've never met a Henry Stettenberg before in my life! Much less one who travels through time and hangs out with aliens."

"Do you remember Adam? The idiot who almost got us killed on Satellite 5?"

Rose laughed. "Yeah."

"Do you remember his boss?"

"How could I forget?" Rose grinned. "You and van Statten."

"Henry van Statten." The Doctor looked at Rose intently.

Suddenly she became serious. "You don't think? But it's impossible! Wasn't his memory blanked?"

"And then he made a new life, moved to England, met your mum and the rest, as they say, is history."

"Oh my. My mum is dating van Statten?"

The Doctor made his way back to the console. He picked up a small gadget from it and turned it over in his hands. He almost turned to Rose but reconsidered it and dropped the item back onto the console. He swung himself under the console and began tinkering again.

Rose wandered over to the console as well and rocked her baby.

"Ouch!" cried the Doctor.

"Doctor?"

"I'm fine. Can you pass me the… oh nevermind. The thing on the console. It's kind of roundish and has bits sticking off it."

Rose eyes the console. She cradled Jacquie in one arm. She picked up the first roundish, loose item she saw and handed it in the Doctor's direction. "This?"

There was a pause. "No."

"What is it?" asked Rose innocently, inspecting the object in her fingers.

Another pause was followed by the Doctor slowly shuffling out from under the console.

"I'm not exactly sure," he admitted.

Rose frowned. "What's up?"

The Doctor took it from her and held his sonic screwdriver up to it in one last attempt to analyse it. "It's something Jack found."

"Oh."

"In your mum's room."

"Oh," she repeated slowly. "But why would…?"

The Doctor shrugged.

Suddenly Rose frowned as she put two and two together. "You don't think…"

"Van Statten!" the Doctor cried.

"But what is it?" asked Rose.

"I don't know," said the Doctor. "I honestly don't—"

He was cut off as Rose thrust Jacquie into his arms. "Let's find out then." She turned on her heel and exited the TARDIS.

"Rose!" The Doctor started after her.

* * *

Rose rapped on her old bedroom door. She could here her mum giggling at some 'witty' statement of Henry Stettenberg aka van Statten's.

"Mum? Can I talk to you a moment?"

Jackie giggled again.

Rose thumped the door a little harder. Because it wasn't closed properly, the door swung up. Both Jackie and Henry sat up quickly. Jackie was flushed pink.

"Mum?"

Henry gave Jackie another quick tickle when he saw it was just Rose.

"Alright you two," snapped Rose, realizing she hadn't just walked in on the exact thing she didn't want to _think _about let alone _see_. "You both have some explaining to do."

Jackie slowly got to her feet but before she could say a thing, Rose threw the gadget onto the quilt and said, "What's this?"

Henry moved to pick it up and Jackie frowned.

"I don't know," he said. "Is this a trick question?"

Jackie glanced a smile at him before turning back to Rose. "Are you alright, Rose? What is all this about?"

"Jack found that," said Rose in a snappy tone. "In your room."

Jackie glanced at Henry before stepping toward Rose. "That's not mine."

Rose focused on Henry.

He noticed her glare and put up his hands in surrender. "I've never seen it before!"

Rose shook her head faintly in disbelief. "Then how did it get in your room?"

"Jack is telling you stories?" suggested Jackie.

Rose threw her hands up in the air. "What has he got to gain?"

Jackie stopped herself before she could explain how Jack wanted to turn Rose on her so that they would pack up and leave with the Doctor. Of course, _that _wasn't going to calm Rose down. She didn't answer at all.

"Didn't this use to be your room?" suggested Henry gently. "Perhaps _you _put it wherever it was found?"

Rose's jaw dropped. "And why would I then accuse you?"

She threw her hands up in frustration.

* * *

The Doctor hurried down the hall toward Jackie's bedroom. Suddenly he stopped in his tracks. "Oh no," he mouthed. The counting down numbers. The funny beeping.

* * *

Rose opened her mouth to ask her mum and mum's boyfriend again about the device when the Doctor burst through the doorway. She jumped and quickly took the baby which was thrust in her direction.

The Doctor dived on the bed and grabbed the device. "It's a bomb!" He jumped to his feet again, his eyes wide and his whole manner alert.

Suddenly Jackie squealed, "Bomb! Doctor! Do something!"

Baby Jacquie in Rose's arms began wailing and Henry's forehead creased with worry. "It's just like something out of one of my dreams," he wailed eyeing the bomb.

Henry grabbed the bomb off the Doctor and sprinted down the hall. The Doctor shot after him. Jackie wrapped herself protectively around Rose and the baby as Jack appeared in the doorway, attracted by the commotion.

"It's gonna be alright," she assured in a trembling voice.

* * *

Henry slammed the door shut and leant against it with his eyes squeezed shut.

"You didn't throw it outside did you?" cried the Doctor.

"Yes," puffed Henry.

"You idiot!"

"But?"

The Doctor yanked Henry aside, ripped open the door and scooped up the bomb. He didn't even bother to shut the door but when straight into the TARDIS. Henry followed hesitantly.

The Doctor thumped the console then continued flicking through settings on his sonic screwdriver. "The sonic screwdriver's having no affect on this!"

He turned on Henry. "Do you remember this? It's yours. You must have had it on you when your memory was blanked and you were left somewhere. You brought it here and somehow it got into Jackie's jewellery box. Maybe she hid it because she was scared I don't know." The Doctor took a quick sharp breath before plunging into another deluge of words. "Henry van Statten? Remember that name? You used to have a big collection of alien artefacts. Under the salt lakes in Utah. I was there once. And then a girl… Goddard I think, she got you dumped in someplace starting with S without any memory?"

Suddenly the Doctor stopped. "It may not be working on the bomb but it can do this." Without warning he flashed the sonic screwdriver into Henry's eyes. Mere seconds later he switched it off and Henry stumbled back in shock from his new found memory.

Before Henry had a chance to register his surroundings again, the Doctor thrust the bomb in his face. "What's this? Your self-defence device? How do you disengage it? Tell me!"

Henry stuttered and coughed before he could get understandable words to form in his mouth. "Magnetic key."

The Doctor's eyes, alight with the excitement, shot to the TARDIS consol. He placed the bomb firmly in Henry's hands and swung under the consol. He rummaged through a maze of wires for a second before pulling out a large electromagnet.

"It probably won't work exactly but it'll scramble its circuits." The Doctor retrieved the bomb from Henry, who stood still, shocked. He switched on the electromagnet. His eyes blazed as he watched the coating of the bomb slowly par away as the strong magnet reached out for the magnets inside. Suddenly the seemingly unbreakable bomb was in pieces and the numbers stilled.

"It was just a memento," Henry said quickly.

The Doctor looked at Henry accusingly and placed the wrecked bomb in his hands. "You never were too smart about this alien stuff."

* * *

Note: Much sorriness that this took so long but I had a major bout of writers block and laziness and… No excuse. Oh and I know some of the writing wasn't so crash hot but that was trying to write with writers' block. I'm sure any writers out there will sympathise. We have about three chapters left I think. I'll try to be prompt about them. Oh, and, reviews will make me prompt, I swear. 


	7. Scandalous

_Title: Rose and Jack_

_Summary: Rose plus Jack plus pressure from an overprotective mother equals something you wouldn't expect from Jack. Mostly straight romance-ish stuff but there is a little action._

_Disclaimer: BBC owns Doctor Who and all related characters and references._

**_

* * *

Chapter Seven: Scandalous_**

_Rose screeched, "Don't just lie there and ignore me, Jack. What happens if you die, Jack? Ever thought about that. You have two children to look after." Rose touched her stomach protectively. "Who's going to look after them because you killed yourself trying to look tough?"_

_A spilt second of silence._

"_Answer me, Jack!"_

* * *

"Does he ever eat?" wondered Jack out loud as the Doctor hurried past the kitchen back to his TARDIS. She was chopping vegetables for her specialty: vegetable mush and rocking Jacquie in her pram.

She didn't notice Rose had appeared behind her. "I suppose he must but I expect he has his grass and safety pins in the TARDIS."

Jackie turned to see Rose standing in the doorway. "Feeling better are we?"

"Still a little light headed," said Rose tickling Jacquie's bare toes. "Especially with the news."

"News?" Jackie scraped the celery into a pot.

Rose took her mum's hands. "Mum. I'm going to have another baby."

Jackie smiled and hugged Rose. "That's lovely. Have you told Jack?"

"Yeah, I just did. He was half asleep himself so I'm not sure if he exactly understood me." Rose grinned.

Jackie frowned. "Is he alright? He's been sleeping almost more than Jacquie."

Rose pursed her lips. "I know. I did ask him but he insisted he was fine. I'm beginning to doubt it though."

Jackie tried to muffle a sigh but didn't do too well.

"Mum, if he isn't feeling well, he's not just covering it up to lie to me, okay?"

Jackie didn't get a chance to answer. There was a cry from Rose's room. They exchanged worried glances as Jacquie started wailing. Rose sprinted down to her and Jack's room. Jackie picked up the baby before following.

Rose reached the room first. She burst through the door. Jack was hunched over on the bed. He sat up as she came in. There was no denying a problem. His shirt was stained with blood as if someone had just torn open his torso.

"Jack," gasped Rose.

Jack's face was contorted with agony. His hand went to protect the wound but they couldn't touch it without making him cringe in pain.

Rose came forward and tenderly pulled back his tee-shirt. It was almost stuck to him. As soon as Rose saw the open, festering wound—infected and ugly—she remembered back on Matagotis.

…_Rose leant against the wall, out of sight._

_

* * *

Rose heard the two guards enter the hall. She heard a shot—not the gun Jack had stolen from Quasar—and a thump. She saw the Doctor move to close the hidden door._

_Rose looked out and saw Jack lying on his back on the ground. He had a large, nasty-looking wound in the left side of his lower torso._

"_Jack!" cried Rose. She ran forward…_

* * *

"Jack," she repeated and Jack merely winced.

Jackie observed from the sidelines. "I'll call a doctor," she said quietly.

Rose glanced back at her. "Get the Doctor too."

Jackie nodded and hurried away.

Rose sat herself on the bed. Jack collapsed back on the pillow.

"You didn't tell me," said Rose. "The blood on the sheets, the cringing, the lack of concentration." She turned on him. "It's been like this practically the whole time and you didn't tell me. What were you thinking? I'd dump you because a gun shot that should have _killed you_ was infected? You were just trying to be tough and putting up a façade. Why, Jack? Why didn't you tell me."

Rose folded her arms. She stood up and glared back at him. "Were you afraid Mum would take me and Jacquie away because you weren't fit to look after us? What kind of an idiot are you?"

Jack turned his head away from her.

Rose screeched, "Don't just lie there and ignore me, Jack. What happens if you die, Jack? Ever thought about that. You have two children to look after." Rose touched her stomach protectively. "Who's going to look after them because you killed yourself trying to look tough?"

A spilt second of silence.

"Answer me, Jack!"

There was no answer. Rose stared at his motionless frame on the bed. She bit her lip. She was about to hurry to his side when the Doctor and Jackie appeared. The Doctor silently—almost coldly—bent over Jack.

Rose blinked back a tear. She joined her mother and they left the room.

"An ambulance is coming," said Jackie, gently handing Rose her baby.

Rose clutched Jacquie tightly and didn't say a word.

* * *

Rose sat in silence by the hospital bed. She held her hands pressed between her knees and her eyes were fixed on a corner of the sheet. She didn't move a muscle, barely blinking. The hush around the room was only broken by the occasional blip of medical equipment. Semi-darkness shrouded the morning scene.

A nurse opened the door. She went to the window and pulled back the blinds. Rose blinked and rubbed her dark eyes. Nearly a week she'd been at her bedside vigil. She couldn't bear the hospital any longer but home was no better. Jackie her mum made too much of a fuss of her, Jacquie her baby reminded her too much that she should be with Jack. At leas the nurses had learnt to leave her alone.

"Mrs. Harkness," said the soft featured nurse quietly.

Rose glanced up at her. For an instant, she felt a pang of jealously for the nurse. She looked back at Jack's face.

"The Doctor is here to speak with you."

Rose sighed and nodded.

A moment later the nurse showed the Doctor into the room then left them alone. He stood next to her chair, arms folded.

"Well," Rose managed at last.

"How much do you know?" he said impassively.

"All I know is they've put him in an enforced coma because they don't know what's wrong with him." Rose's words were slow and laborious.

The Doctor cleared his throat. "Well, I've done a few tests with the TARDIS and the sonic screwdriver. I haven't yet been able to identify it exactly but it's definitely an alien strain originating some where near the Hatrix system."

"Matagotis." It was a word with no strings attached.

The Doctor nodded. "Possibly. As far as I can tell, it was hidden dormant in the wound until a more common Earth virus woke it. It killed that off and took over. It began just in the abdominal region. It took time to spread from the wound but it built up a large concentration in the blood stream and made it to the internal organs. I'm fairly sure the coma will help keep it out of his brain but once it gets in there…"

Rose shuddered.

The Doctor hesitated. "The press has got a hold of the story."

Rose looked up at the Doctor with incomprehension.

"Your story is being followed in the newspapers." He tried again.

"Oh."

Rose paused and then buried her face in her hands.

The Doctor waited a moment before deciding it would be prudent to leave. As he made for the door, Rose spoke up.

"Doctor."

He turned.

"What do I do?"

The Doctor stood in silence.

Finally he answered, "What can anyone do?"

Rose looked up at him, meeting someone's gaze for the first time all week. "Not much if you can't do anything."

* * *

Rose stood in the middle of the lounge room where she and the Doctor had smashed her mum's coffee table.

"So long ago," she muttered to herself.

From the doorway of the kitchen, Jackie watched with her hand on the pram which her grandchild lay.

"Home," Rose breathed.

Her eyes fixed on the TARDIS still standing in the corner. She took a feeble step toward it and ran her hand down its rough side. She pressed her face to it. "Home."

* * *

Rose slouched on the sofa. Jacquie lay next to her, kicking and gurgling happily. Rose let Jacquie's tiny digits curl around her own finger. A faint smile tickled her face.

She turned her weary eyes back to the tellie. The well-known face of the BBC world news looked back at her.

She sat up with a jolt when she saw the familiar front of the hospital where Jack lay in a coma. She leant forward and turned up the report.

"…Jack Harkness lies in a coma, an infection raging through his system. It is still unidentified but experts," It cut to a shot of the Doctor walking Rose to a car, the scene of this morning when Rose had finally decided to come home. "say that it may be an alien strain. A medical team are working around the clock…"

The tellie switched off. Rose's mum, shopping bags hanging from her arms, shook her head. "Read something a little better for your brain," she kidded, tossing Rose a magazine. "Try not to think about it for a while. You're exhausted. You need to relax." Jackie left Rose to herself again.

Rose picked up the magazine and flicked through the brand new issue lazily.

A picture caught her eye. She turned back a few pages. A large, half-page picture displayed two very familiar backs. One was her own, about to get into Mickey's car. He'd kindly lent his car to take Rose home. The other was the Doctor's. He had his arm around Rose protectively, trying to shield her from the press.

She glanced at the article. Rose's eyes widened as she read. It was clearly insinuating something between the Doctor, alien and medical expert, and Rose, wife of the most intriguing case of recent medicine. Rose read the rest of the article then tossed aside the magazine.

She stood angrily, muttering to herself.

Jackie poked her head in. "Rose? Something wrong?"

Rose just stared at her mum. "Have you read it?" She pointed an accusing finger at the magazine.

"What's up?" Jackie hurried to Rose's side. "What did it say?"

Jackie glanced at the article. "Rose, don't listen to them. Everyone knows they just make it up because they want a scandal."

Rose balled her fists. Jacquie cried.

* * *

Rose hugged herself, looking down on Jack. Suddenly he blinked. He opened his eyes and glanced around the room. Rose stood close by his bed. Jackie was also in the room, holding the baby. Two doctors and the familiar face of his own Doctor stood over him too.

Rose mouthed something, trying to talk but couldn't get it out. She sat down on the edge of the hospital bed. Her hands covered his.

"…Jack…"

"R…ose…" His voice was cracked and weak.

Rose used his hand to wipe away a tear. She leant into him. "I love you," she whispered.

"S-sorry."

"It's all forgiven." She kissed his forehead.

You could hear a pin drop. Suddenly his eyes rolled back in his head. He stiffened and jerked. Rose sat up.

Jack's jaw worked. Finally he coughed up the words. "It burns… My head…"

The Doctor sprung into action. "We have to put him back in the coma."

The other medical practitioners moved slowly and unsurely.

Jack was trembling, out of control. Rose retreated to her mother.

There was a flurry of activity as the doctors checked dials and numbers. The Doctor scanned Jack with his screwdriver.

"Hurry up, morons!" he bellowed.

Rose buried her face in Jackie. Everything blurred until she heard the Doctor yell. "Do it!"

Then there was silence. The door opened and slammed shut. Rose turned her face to the room. The Doctor had disappeared and the other two doctors stood by Jack, doing everything they could—nothing.

* * *

Jackie settled down at the dining table with a newspaper. No surprise to her, the front page was plaster with pictures and a massive headline about Jack's death. She sighed and passed by the articles about it. She stopped at the gossip section.

But the very first article shouted "Doctor kills for love". She scanned the article. It declared, as if fact, that the Doctor had allowed Jack to die so he could get Rose. Jackie frowned.

She immediately tore out the page and crumpled it into a ball. She threw it in the bin, shaking her head.

"What do they know? They just want a scandal," she told herself.

Rose shuffled into the kitchen and opened the fridge. She saw the frown on her mum's face.

"Everything alright?"

"Just cheery," said Jackie, in a way that suggested everything wasn't as cheery as she wanted. "Sleep well."

Rose shook her head and scavenged the fridge for something yummy. Jackie gave her a sympathetic look before leaving her to it.

Rose pulled out a small yogurt. She ripped it open and took a finger-full. She screwed up her face.

"Yuk."

She chucked it into the bin. It landed on its side, spilling a little onto a crumpled paper. She wouldn't have noticed this if she hadn't caught a glimpse of a familiar face on it.

She picked it up and gingerly straightened it out. Her eyes scanned the article. She dropped it back in the bin, shocked.

* * *

The Doctor's face lit up as the longed for scraping sound of his time machine echoed about his ears. He quickly shut of the TARDIS and did a happy jig. He burst into the living room and hurried into the kitchen.

Just as he stepped through the door, Rose reeled back against the bin. She clasped her hands together and stared at the bin as if it contained Satan.

The Doctor lunged to comfort her but she shied away from him.

"Rose, what's wrong?"

Rose slid slowly to the ground, covering her face with her hands.

The Doctor squatted down in front of her. He placed his hand on her knee. "Rose?"

Rose shook her head. Because of her position, it was only just perceptible but the Doctor recognized it.

He stood and made his way to the bin. He cautiously lifted the lid. The only think of interest he could see was the torn out page. He picked it up. It took him mere seconds to recognize the problem.

He screwed up the paper angrily and slammed shut the bin.

"I should have left long ago," he muttered.

Without another word, he turned on his heel and left the room, fuming.

Rose peeked up from her despondent position. She saw his back retreating to the lounge. She jumped to her feet and raced after him.

But it was too late. She threw herself at the closed door of the TARDIS just as it began to disappear. She dropped to her knees and listened to the diminishing grating sound.

"Doctor…"

* * *

"Earlier this morning, wife of the man who died of an unidentified infection, Rose Tyler Harkness attended a press conference to refute the rumours that the alien expert known only as the Doctor intentionally allowed her husband, Jack Harkness to die."

Jackie looked up from her cooking. She slowly walked into the living room. Despite the fact the Doctor had been gone for almost two weeks now, it still seemed strange that his blue box no longer stood in the corner.

Rose's face appeared on the screen. Her makeup was running with tears and her best friend Shireen had one arm around her.

"The Doctor was a good friend of both Jack and myself. He did everything he could to identify the infection… It wasn't his fault. He did his best. Just before Jack died, he attempted to put him back in coma to save his brain. But the doctors were too late."

Rose put a tissue to her nose. She squeezed her eyes shut. Shireen rubbed her friends arm comfortingly.

Rose cleared her throat and continued, "Because they couldn't identify what the infection was, there was no way to help keep Jack alive. It was the Doctor that recommended they put Jack in a coma so that the infection didn't spread to his brain."

It switched back to the studio. "We will be showing the full press conference later tonight."

"So that's where she was this morning."

Jackie switched off the tellie, not interested in the news any more. She quietly made her way down to Rose's room which was Rose's room again. She pushed open the door and looked in.

Rose was lying on her bed, cuddling a cushion and staring at a point on the wall. Her face wore a blank expression.

"Honey?"

"Mmm." She didn't move.

"I saw your interview."

"Oh."

Jackie made her way to the bed and sat down at Rose's feet.

Rose rolled onto her back and sat up, still gripping the pillow. "Shireen's boyfriend is a reporter. They organized it for me."

"You didn't tell me." Jackie fiddled with her fingers.

Rose slipped off the bed. She made her way to the little cradle that stood next to her own bed. She gently stroked her child's arm.

"I don't know." Rose bent over the cradle and kissed the baby. "It happened so fast." She glanced back at Jackie.

"Shireen suggested it only hours before it was set for. They'd organized it without letting me know so I'd have no chance to say no. I'm glad. I would have said no. But I needed to do it. No one can so those things about the Doctor."

Rose sat down close to Jackie. She wrapped her arms around her. Jackie returned the embrace.

* * *

Rose walked quickly toward her apartment block, pushing Jacque's pram in front of her. She could here her daughter's happy gurgling. It was the first time Rose had taken Jacque out for a walk.

Rose paused as she passed the place where the Doctor had so often parked the TARDIS on his visits to her estate. She took a deep breath and started to move on again.

She stopped again. She walked around the pram and squatted in front of it. She checked Jacque was tucked in snugly. She pulled the child's little beanie on tighter.

Jacque blinked her four-month-old eyes at her mum. Rose smiled and tickled her.

"I don't know, sweetie," she said, taking hold of the pram again. "Mummy's just being a bit strange."

Suddenly but undoubtedly Rose heard a well-known sound. She turned slightly. She nearly squeaked with delight as a familiar blue box appeared in front of the graffiti-covered fence.

She fairly held her breath as she waited. She had no idea how long she stood there, just waiting. Then everything happened at once. The door opened slightly. Jacque started crying. Rose was torn between the TARDIS and her child. But then the door shut. Rose turned to Jacque. The TARDIS began to dematerialize.

Rose looked up with despair. It was gone. He'd left again. She took hold of the pram and headed back toward her apartment block.

* * *

Note: So much for promptness, right? Ah well, this is basically it. Thanks for reading. But don't leave yet, we still have a little epilogue! 


	8. Epilogue

_Title: Rose and Jack (creative, I know)_

_Summary: Rose plus Jack plus pressure from an overprotective mother equals something you wouldn't expect from Jack. Mostly straight romance-ish stuff but there is a little action._

_Disclaimer: All canon Doctor Who characters and plotlines belong to the BBC. Not me, unfortunately._

_**Epilogue**_

* * *

Chatter echoed throughout the whole apartment. Friends, family and gate-crashers milled throughout. Drinks poured. Children squealed. Foods spilt. In he middle of it all, Jackie Tyler stood, flushed and happy, always lingering close to the other person at the focus of the party, Jason Davies.

The doorbell rang.

"Can you get that, honey?" called Jackie, holding her first great niece.

Jason made his way to the door of the apartment. He pulled it open. Outside stood a blonde in her mid-thirties, one child in her arms and another clinging to her hand.

"You must be Rose," he said with a charming smile. "Jason Davies."

He would have shaken her hand had they not both been occupied with her children.

"Hi," she said.

"Come through."

He led her toward the lounge. On the way he introduced himself to the toddler.

"My name's Jason."

"My name is Jacque!" said the little girl happily.

He held out his hand to her. She looked up at Rose. Rose nodded, scanning the room for her mum.

Jacque took hold of her granddad-to-be's hand and he led her off to get a drink.

Suddenly Rose was accosted by aunts and cousins. She rattled off a few quick answers. Then Jackie swooped in, took the baby from her arms and led Rose down to her bedroom.

"I'm so glad you could make it," said Jackie, rocking her grandson in her arms.

Rose wearily sat down on the bed. The room still retained her décor though she'd been gone some months.

"Travelling isn't so easy with two children, is it?" said Jackie softly.

Rose nodded.

"How old is Andy now?" Jackie asked, looking down at the child in her arms.

"Nearly six months."

Jackie gave the boy a kiss.

"So, you're engaged?"

Jackie smiled. "He's wonderful, Rose. I'm sure you'll like him."

"Jacque does."

"Both of them do," laughed Jackie.

Natural silence fell between them.

"I miss hi…" Before Rose could complete the syllable the doorbell sounded again.

"You'd better get it," she said.

Jacque gently returned Andy to his mother's arms and hurried to the door. Just a moment later Rose heard a cry. She couldn't tell if it was of joy, excitement or horror. In fact, it sounded something like all that and more.

Rose laid Andy gently on the bed. Mere moments later the door opened carefully. Rose glanced back, expecting to see her mum.

"Doctor." She almost didn't believe her eyes.

But it was him, still in his old leather jacket. Eyes twinkling with adventure but at the same time subdued by the horror he'd seen.

She jumped to her feet and threw her arms around him without thinking.

"I missed you."

The Doctor hesitated but hugged her back.

"You came back." Rose leaned back, looking at him, taking him in.

"I did."

"Why?"

The Doctor glanced away. Rose could only just hear his answer, "I should never have left you. You didn't need me to leave. You needed help."

Rose gave him hugged him again. She retreated to the bed, nearly shaking. "I've been so restless since you left," she said tickling Andy.

The Doctor approached the bed.

Rose glanced up at him and back at Andy. " This is Andrew. My baby. Jacque's some where in the party with mum's fiancé."

The Doctor nodded.

Rose stared at her hands, unsure what to do. She wore both her wedding ring and her engagement ring. She touched the gem on the engagement ring.

"It's Galifreyan," the Doctor whispered.

Rose looked up at him.

"The ring."

"You gave it to Jack for me?" she guessed.

The Doctor nodded, all sparkle now gone from his eyes.

"But… why?"

The Doctor sat down next to Rose. "He talked to me about asking you to marry him. I knew that no matter who it was that gave it to you, you deserved to wear that ring."

A rogue tear escaped down Rose's cheek. Before she could brush it away, the Doctor's hand gently pushed it away. She froze. His hand stayed on her cheek. She didn't dare to look at him. They sat still like statues for what seemed like a long time.

Just as Rose worked up enough courage to risk a glance at the Doctor, he took her face in his hands. Neither knew what was happening until their lips touched. The Doctor almost pulled back but Rose didn't let him. She'd waited too long. Her arms wrapped around his back. Her mouth invaded his. He intensified his tentative kiss.

When they finally broke, Rose was breathless and the Doctor was silent.

"Do you miss Jack?" ask the Doctor.

Rose let her hand walk up and down the Doctor's back. "I'll never forget him, Doctor. But that doesn't mean I'll never move on." Her hand slipped behind his neck and playfully tugged him toward her.

He eventually gave in.

THE END


End file.
